Parliament Question: School for Children with Special Needs

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EMPOWERMENT DEPARTMENT OF EMPOWRERMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILTIES

(DIVYANGJAN) LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO -5067 TO BE ANSWERED ON - 24/03/2026 SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

5067. SHRI V K SREEKANDAN:

Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Government is considering screening of the twenty-five crore plus school children in the country to identify those with of special needs quite early, if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether it is also a fact that only twenty percent of them get identified, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether it is a fact that at least two and half per cent of children in the country fall under the classification of Children with Special Needs, if so, the details thereof;

(d) according to the records of the Government, only twenty-two lakh Children with Special Needs as against the possible such children amounting to one point twenty crore children, if so, the details thereof; and

(e) whether the Government has fixed any target to complete the said screening, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI B.L.VERMA)

(a) : Screening and early identification of children with disabilities is undertaken under various provisions and programmes of the Government. Section 25(2)(c) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 mandates screening of children at least once a year for identifying “at-risk” cases. Further, under Samagra Shiksha, the PRASHAST (Pre-Assessment Holistic Screening Tool) App has been developed for screening of school-going children (3–18 years) for early identificationof 21 disabilities. Additionally, under Rashtriya Bal SwasthyaKaryakram (RBSK) of National Health Mission, health screening of children from birth to 18 years is conducted for early detection of 4Ds, namely Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies and Developmental delays. Further, Cross Disability Early Intervention Centres (CDEICs) support early identification and intervention for children in the age group of 0–6 years, provide comprehensive early intervention servicesthrough a single-window service delivery model and facilitate inclusion in education systems through therapeutic support.

(b) : No such consolidated data is available.

(c) & (d): As per Unified District Information on School Education (UDISE+) 2024-25, the total enrolment of Children with Special Needs (CwSN) is 21,49,258, which is about 0.87% of the total student enrolment.

(e): No. However, screening is being carried out on a continuous basis under various programmes such as PRASHAST, RBSK and CDEIC. *****