ZCZC
BSS-08
PM-DAY-AUTISM-SECOND-LAST
Putting emphasis on inclusive education for the children with disabilities, the prime minister said they should be given scope to pursue study with general students.
Under Integrated Special Education Policy, the disabled students are availing the opportunity to study in 62 specialized schools and around Taka 23 crore have been allocated for running the schools, she also said.
In this connection, the premier said arrangements for extra time have been made in the public examinations for the students with disabilities so they can take part in the examinations properly.
Sheikh Hasina, who herself offers great patronage to autistics, said the issue was completely unknown and unattended in Bangladesh and even to her.
With her daughter Saima Wazed Hossain taking the lead, she said, the importance and awareness about autism have increased nationally and internationally.
The prime minister said her government has established Suchona Foundation with Saima Wazed as its chairperson. “Our goal is to create awareness among the guardians, parents and other members of the society about autism,” she said.
She advocated for creating awareness about autism not only in Bangladesh but also across the globe to know how to behave with the autistic children, which requires proper training for the parents, teachers and concerned others, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh was well aware of the disabled and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established 47 co-education schools after achieving independence in 1971 for the visually impaired under the jurisdiction of the then Social Welfare Department.
The premier also put emphasized on diagnosis of autism of newly born children to give proper treatment to them for early recovery.
For this reason, she said, her government has established Institute of Pediatric Neuro Disorder and Autism (IPNA) at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).
She added her government has established a 50-seat nursing center at Brahmanbaria for girls and another 50-seat nursing center at Bogura for boys to take care of the disabled and providing them with education, treatment and other facilities.
Such shelters will be established in all the divisions and districts in phases to minimize tension of the parents of disabled about their wellbeing in future.
The government has been giving monthly education stipend of Taka 700 to 1200 among 90,000 disabled students as they can continue their study, she informed.
Sheikh Hasina said two laws — “The Persons with Disability Rights and Protection Trust Act, 2013” and “The Neuro Developmental Disability Protection Act, 2013” — were passed in parliament to protect interests of the persons with disabilities.
Under the trust laws, she said, a “Neuro Developmental Disability Protection Trust” was formed in 2014. Since its establishment, the government has allocated Taka 70.97 crore.
The trust allocated Taka 40.55 lakh in the fiscal year 2017-2018, to 811 lowered income NDD persons to bear their treatment expenses, she mentioned.
It also aimed to distribute Taka 70 lakh on the same ground in the fiscal year 2018-2019, to 1200 lowered income NDD persons, she continued. Spelling out her government’s initiatives for overall development of the disabled, she said they have already completed a 15-Floor Complex for disabled person at Mirpur at a cost of Taka 80 crore.
A 4.16-acre of land has been allotted to the Ministry of Social Welfare for maintaining a playground for children with disabilities by our government, she said.
A DPP formulation is underway for establishment of an inclusive sports complex for the disabled on a 12.01-acres land near at Savar which will cost about Tk. 466 crore, she added.
An ‘Autism Resource Centre’ has started functioning on the campus of Jatiyo Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation at Mirpur to provide free services to autistic children and older disabled people while an Autistic School was established there for providing free education, she mentioned.
Later, the premier witnessed a cultural show preformed by autistics.
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