Meghalaya is facing significant challenges in making educational institutions accessible for children with disabilities. With over 10,140 children under the age of 18 years are living with disabilities in the state, the lack of disabled-friendly infrastructure in schools is a major concern.
Many schools operate out of old or dilapidated buildings, where basic facilities such as accessible toilets and ramps are not available, making it difficult for students with disabilities to access education.
Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh informed that the state government is taking steps to address this issue. The government plans to bring educational institutions under a broader project aimed at making them more accessible.
“We you would have realised that a number of state Government buildings to begin with have become disabled friendly, this has happened very recently and the next course of action would be to bring educational institutions under the ambit of this project,” Lyngdoh said.
“Since a new government has taken over at the centre, I will be constantly in touch with the new Minister incharge, infact the plans are already on the anvil for one to one meeting with him,” the Minister said.
The Directorate of Social Welfare has been tasked with preparing an inventory as part of the initial phase of this project. The Minister also noted that some government buildings have already been made more accessible, and he intends to continue discussions with relevant authorities to further these efforts.
“As I said in the immediate phase, we will be covering educational institutions and for which the directorate has already been asked to prepare an inventory of requirements, so we are in the process and we should hopefully be able to initiate plans at the field level in the immediate future,” he added.
Minister Lyngdoh spoke at the sideline of an event organized by the Composite Regional Centre for Skill Development, Rehabilitation, and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) in Shillong. The event, under the administrative control of NIEPMD – Chennai and the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, involved the distribution of essential aids & appliances designed to enhance the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Around 125 Aids & Appliances like Smart Phones, Auxiliary Crutch, Teaching Learning Material (TLM Kit), Rollator, Hearing aid, CP Chair, Crunches, Wheelchairs, Android Tablet were distributed to those in need as this practical support aims to reduce everyday challenges and improve living conditions for many families.