Stakeholders concerned about keeping autistic children in residential schools

Kathmandu, Apr. 16: Researchers, stakeholders, including rights activists, have argued that the recent decision to construct autism residential schools made by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology would segregate children with disabilities from inclusive education.

They also argued that such a decision violated the constitution and the UNCRPD, a disability rights document recognized by the UN.

Organising a dialogue between researchers, rights activists, and other stakeholders, concerns were raised about the impact on students’ learning and development due to hostels established in the name of resource classes.

Lakpa Sherpa, hailing from Solukhumbu, who is one of the parents of children with disabilities, said that the government’s new announcement to operate separate residential schools for autistic children will ultimately have a serious impact on the development of disabled children.

“We want our children to have the opportunity to receive quality education and other facilities within the family. If we keep our children in hostels for years in the name of special classes, they will reach a point where they may not be able to do anything on their own in the future. Also it will be very difficult to reunite them with their families. Separating children from their families means increasing conflict in the family in the future,” said Sherpa.

During the programme, Dhruba Niure, TU Professor, presented his comprehensive research on children with disabilities in several hostels. His research has revealed some serious facts, raising a big question about the government policy.

Presenting the research, Prof. Niure revealed some serious conditions in hostels. The research shows several cases of suicides, sexual harassment, and mental health issues happening.

“Children who are separated from their families and live in resource centres for years are at risk of sexual abuse, suicide attempts, and mental health problems,” said Prof. Niure.

“Compared to children living in families, children living in resource classes are 10 times more likely to engage in prostitution, 40 times more likely to engage in criminal activity, and 500 times more likely to attempt suicide,” the research stated.

The research showed that most parents choose institutional care for their children with disabilities due to the lack of appropriate educational services in the community. Similarly, the parents prefer to keep their children with their families in areas where health and education facilities are available at the local level. According to the research, the parents agree that their children with disabilities would be better cared for within their families rather than in residential schools.

The research also stated that most services offered by the local governments are limited to providing disability ID cards and social security allowances. Many residential classes have been violating the law. Most children living in residential resource classes are alienated from their families, meeting them only once or twice a year.

“The major goal of the residential classes was not to alienate the children from their families. Rather, it was to train specific skills in a short period and to reintegrate into the mainstream classes. However, the reality turned out to be different, as the huge amount of money invested in most residential classes has been misused,” said Prof. Niure.

Shiva Acharya, an international human rights expert, remarked that the principles of inclusive education have not yet been truly implemented.

“Some policies state that children should not be separated from their families for the sake of education, while others include provisions allowing for such separations. This creates a contradiction among policymakers. However, the UNCRPD clearly asserts that all individuals, including persons with disabilities, have the right to choose their opportunities,” said Shiva Acharya.

Acharya emphasized that every child with a disability should be treated according to a rights-based approach rather than a welfare-based approach.

“There are five fundamental indicators for assessing the rights of children with disabilities, such as Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, Adaptability, and Affordability,” said Acharya.

Some officials at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology stated that the government aims to assess children with disabilities to provide them with special skills within the mainstream schools.

Speaking with The Rising Nepal, Bir Bahadur Dhami, Under Secretary at the Ministry, informed that a technical team, formed by new minister Sashmit Pokharel, is currently working on it and will submit a report next week.

Dhami added that the initial discussions on operating special classes for children with autism focused on inclusivity rather than segregation.

“A committee has been established under the leadership of Joint Secretary Roshan Shrestha, which will submit its report to the ministry next week. Based on suggestions received from various sources, preparations are underway to facilitate the learning process for autistic children. This will involve providing special training and therapy in the remaining schools to reintegrate these children into mainstream classes,” said Dhami. (from TRN)