Organizational aspects of special schools for mental retardation in India

The aim of this study was to find out areas for improvement in the system of special schools for mental retardation in India and to provide policy guidance. It attempted to find out regional variations between special schools in terms of service facilities, numbers of students enrolled in both day-care and residential facilities and composition and profile of human resources vis-à-vis students and special schools and to compare them with trends for the whole of India. The results indicate that enrollment of girl students is very low (37%) and that the staff-to-student ratio on average is 1:6 leaving scope for better utilization of the existing infrastructure. The study points out that the south and west regions account for 73% of special educational facilities while 26% of the schools provide residential facilities. Further the results indicate that only 31% of the special schools provide early intervention and early childhood education facilities. They also indicate that composition and deployment of staff is lopsided and there are wide variations among regions and within the different categories of staff. It is observed that staff profile comprises 51% special teachers, 31% rehabilitation professionals and 18% support staff. Based on the findings, seven major areas have emerged for improvement: regional balance in the growth of special schools, comprehensive services, equality between the sexes, full-time, qualified staff and optimal utilization of the existing infrastructure.