Govt stipend for disabled pupils

Statesman News Service

MALDA, May 4: The state government has decided to introduce stipend for disabled students who would secure at least 50 per cent marks in their annual examination. According to the Malda district mass education officer Mrs Bharati Goswami, students residing and studying in government-sponsored schools for the disabled would be entitled to the stipend, to continue their education. The stipend would start from the primary level,” Mrs Goswami said. Of the six institutions for the disabled in Malda, three are government sponsored where nearly 165 disabled students are enrolled. In addition to it another 185 disabled students reside and study in three government recognised institutions in the Kaliachak and Ratua blocks. The official hinted that the state government might sponsor these institutions in future after evaluating their performance. It may be noted that a large number of disabled students in Malda district is under the care of non-government organisations and is struggling for the government's attention. It was learnt that in addition to the stipend, the West Bengal government is contemplating to select educated disabled students from the districts and provide them technical and vocational training to aid them in getting employment and education officers have been intimated about the proposal. The commissioner of the department for the disabled Mr Supriya Gupta, serving in extension, has informed the district authorities that the government would bear all expenses for the disabled students undergoing vocational training and that the department would conduct the training programme in Kolkata and other towns of the state to facilitate the educated disabled students.