Improving the infrastructure of government schools and appointing special educators could help in the betterment of lives of special children enrolled in the schools.
The outstanding performance of a corporation school in Madurai – Maraimalai Adigalar Corporation High School located at South Gate – where 14 special children cleared the class X board examination in 2024-25 academic year, was a case in point.
Of the total students’ strength of 92, about 32 were special children. The strength, according to the teachers, could not be seen in any other government schools in the district.
The school, since it shifted from a nearby location to the current location in 2021, has consistently increased its enrolment from just 22 students to the current 92, thanks to the better academic performance of the students, said teachers.
Moreover, under the Tamil Nadu government’s inclusive education model, the strength of special children has also been increased every year, they added.
Though the model was to provide an inclusive environment to the students by embracing special children into the normal school environment, many schools failed to encourage enrolment of such children due to the lack of knowledge and fear of the burden of extra care.
However, A.J. Santhi, Headmistress of the school, said, following her promotion to the school as a HM, she aimed to bring in more such children to provide them a safe environment with a quality education.
Though her efforts did not fail, she felt that by having a better infrastructure with classrooms, a playground, the students could excel in education and sports too.
“Special children with intellectual disability, even when they could not perform to the level of expectation of their parents and the society, each one of them will have a unique talent. Be it art, music, education, sports, they could excel when they are assessed and given focus,” she stated.
Even when the teachers did not possess any knowledge to assess and analyse the special children enrolled in the school, the result has been exemplary. “If there are trained educators in the school the children could be upskilled in any other skill in addition to the academic,” she noted.
As a temporary arrangement under the Happy Schooling programme, a volunteer from M.S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation visits the three days a week to train the children, she said.
A. Ashina Begum, parent of Mohammed Shahir, a special child and a School Management Committee, said that her 14-year-old boy was not admitted in any schools until 2021 when the teachers at the corporation school admitted her son.
“My son who is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) like any other child with intellectual disability is prone to abrupt mood swings. In such cases, only a trained educator can handle them by counselling them through their own ways,” she added.
Even the teachers who were untrained in psychological counselling handle the special children so well, Ms. Begum said with the appointment of a therapist the students’ mental state could be improved.
Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan said that to promote the well-being of special children and improve their academic opportunities, they were planning to operate an exclusive school for the special children.
“The students who are already enrolled in the corporation schools would be moved to the specialized schools,” she added.
Psychiatrist and founder of M.S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation C. Ramasubramanian, said, “Instead of operating a separate school, the inclusive education could erase the stigma attached to the children with special needs. When other normal children are allowed to interact with special children in the classes, they will develop a positive attitude towards them,” he added.
“We, being a developing country, cannot afford separate schools to accommodate and train all the special children. To tackle this, the existing school infrastructures could be improved and with a trained educator in each school, the gaps in educating the special children could be resolved,” Dr. Ramasubramanian observed.
Published – August 06, 2025 06:59 pm IST
