Jaipur: Sriganganagar and Alwar district education departments have mandated that special education teachers for students with special needs should not be given non-academic responsibilities. The directive comes as over 75,000 students with special needs are enrolled in govt schools across the state.The orders address concerns regarding special educators being given duties unrelated to their primary role, including management of programmes and exams, which takes away their focus from supporting these students.The order adds that govt has appointed special educators and resource persons for children with special needs (CWSN) at district level. These teachers are skilled in teaching and imparting specialised competencies to CWSN. The order states, “Beyond their duties toward CWSN within their own schools, they are responsible for providing educational support to CWSN in the catchment areas of nearby primary elementary education officers or urban cluster elementary education officers and managing various inclusive education activities—such as transport, escort, reader, and stipend allowances, as well as CWSN identification.”The department has instructed all heads of institutions to exempt special educators from such additional charges and instead direct them to focus on the education, support, and identification of children with special needs.State president of Rajasthan Primary and Secondary Teachers Association, Vipin Prakash Sharma, said, “Special educators are not just responsible for teaching students with special needs but also managing their behaviour and ensuring their comfort in a school environment. After school hours, special teachers posted at block level are tasked with identifying more such children and connect them to proper schooling; therefore, additional tasks should not be given to them.”In Nov last year, the state govt granted financial approval for recruitment and promotion of 242 special education teachers, which led to dedicated teaching support for specially-abled children in Classes 11 and 12. This was the first time that special education teachers were promoted and recruited for the posts of lecturer in the state. In 2008, special education teachers were recruited as Grade-III teachers, to teach at primary level. Thereafter, in 2015, special education teachers were recruited for Classes 9-10.
