The AAP’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House, Ankush Narang, hit out at the BJP, saying it has no concern for the education of Children With Special Needs. He said while 55 primary schools have no special teacher at all, the BJP government, mired in corruption, has posted two teachers in some schools where there are fewer than five or even no such children, and is using special educators for clerical work instead of ensuring their right to education.
Addressing a press conference, MCD LoP Ankush Narang stated, “The BJP has a so-called ‘four-engine government’ in Delhi, yet corruption in the MCD keeps increasing. Even after forming committees, including one for education, the BJP government has failed to deliver any work in MCD. There are 1,514 primary schools under MCD, and each of them should have a special teacher for Children With Special Needs (CWSN). But instead of 1,514, only 1,460 special teachers are present today, leaving 55 schools without a single special teacher. Shockingly, in some schools, there are two special teachers appointed when the rule allows only one.”
Listing the names of such schools, Ankush Narang said, “In West Zone, Mayapuri Press Colony and Basai Darapur have two special teachers each. Similarly, in Narela Zone, Rohini Sector 22 and Bawana have two instructors each. In the City-SP Zone, Jai Rani Bagh, Lalita Block, and Kishanganj New Basti also have two special teachers each. When 55 schools are running without a single special teacher, there is no need to appoint two in others. The irony is that in such schools with two special teachers, only 5 to 10 CWSN students are enrolled.”
Highlighting further discrepancies, he continued, “Across Delhi, MCD schools run Hindi and English medium classes on the same board, and in each classroom, 40 to 60 children study together. On the other hand, in schools where the number of CWSN students is fewer than five—or even zero—the BJP government has still appointed special teachers and pays them salaries of ₹70,000 to ₹80,000. In Narela Zone, there are 53 schools with fewer than five CWSN students each, yet special teachers are appointed there. Among these, 15 schools have no CWSN students at all, but still have special teachers posted.”
“In City-SP Zone, 40 schools have fewer than five CWSN students, and in 13 of them, there is not even a single CWSN student. In Shahdara South Zone, 43 schools have fewer than five CWSN students, and in 13 schools, none at all. Similarly, in the West Zone, 28 schools have fewer than five CWSN students, and in four schools, not even one,” he added.
Ankush Narang said, “When the AAP was in MCD, there were around 10,000 CWSN students in these schools. But under BJP’s rule in MCD, the number has fallen to 7,500. On one hand, MCD schools are not admitting CWSN students, and on the other, they are paying huge salaries to special teachers. Many of these special teachers are being used for clerical work. For example, Avnish, a special educator posted at Hauz Khas Police Wala Colony, has been attached to South Zone MCD. Nisha, posted at Nayabans School, has been shifted to Narela Zone. Deepak Yadav, posted at New Gupta Colony, has been moved to Keshavpuram Zone.”
Giving more examples, he further added, “In Shalimar Assembly constituency of CM Rekha Gupta, the special educator posted there has also been shifted to Keshavpuram Zone. Tanushree, posted at New Chandrawal, has been shifted to Keshavpuram Zone. Amandeep, posted at Jahangirpuri J-Block, is now at headquarters. Abhishek Kumar from Mayapuri has also been posted to headquarters. Similarly, Deepali from Basai Darapur, Gaurav Malhotra from New Krishna Park, and Lokesh from Jhandewalan have all been moved to headquarters. Sudhanshu Balyan, posted at Mehrauli Village Boys, is now in Shahdara South Zone. Pawneesh Kumar from Mayapuri, Renu Sharma from Shakarpur Vijyal, Arvind from Ramesh Park, and Pankaj from Yamuna Vihar have also been transferred to different zones.”
Raising questions to the BJP, the MCD House LoP said, “When last year there were 10,000 CWSN students, how has the number dropped to 7,500 this year? Why have two special educators been posted in one school when it is against the rules? Why are special educators posted in schools where there is not even a single CWSN student? There is already a shortage of teachers in primary schools, so why aren’t these special educators being deployed there?”
“Instead, the BJP is using them for their own work. They have even prepared a seniority list from 1995 to 2002, while the special educators were appointed in 2015. What interest does BJP have in preparing such a seniority list for them? Special educators are required to have a Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) certificate, but the MCD education department does not even know how many of them hold this certificate or whether they have renewed it,” he said.
Ankush Narang said, “I am writing to the MCD Commissioner that schools with CWSN students should be developed in a way that truly supports their growth. The BJP also talks about development, but here they are only indulging in corruption. Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party had raised charges of corruption in the seniority list, promotion, and transfer list, but the Mayor dismissed them as baseless. Yet, the Mayor went ahead and transferred the Director of Education Department, admitting that the seniority list, promotion list, and transfers were not prepared properly and corruption had taken place. The truth is that CWSN students in schools must be properly cared for, and special educators must be appointed in the right way.”
