Enrolment of differently-abled children drops despite full infra coverage: Report

The Delhi State Indicator Framework (DSIF) 2024 report on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has revealed a troubling fall in the number of children with disabilities attending school in the national capital, despite near-complete coverage of school infrastructure.

According to the report, enrolment of children with disabilities (aged 5–19) in educational institutions declined from 27,026 in 2021-22 to 22,530 in 2022-23. The enrolment ratio per 1,000 children with disabilities also fell from 5.91 to 4.37 during the same period.

The setback comes even though Delhi schools have achieved almost 100 per cent access to essential facilities, including electricity, drinking water, gender-segregated toilets, handwashing stations and computer-enabled classrooms. By 2019-20, the city had also reported complete coverage of disability-friendly infrastructure such as ramps and adapted toilets.

Education experts say the decline underscores that infrastructure alone is insufficient to ensure inclusion. Social stigma, lack of awareness among parents, shortage of special educators and inadequate support for inclusive teaching practices continue to keep many children with disabilities away from classrooms.

“The real challenge is not just sending disabled children to school but ensuring they feel welcome and supported there. Many remain out of school, and those who do join often drop out when their needs are ignored. The denial of a special educator for four years in one case highlights how serious the problem is,” advocate and social worker Ashok Aggarwal said.

The report also noted that while Delhi had shown strong progress in other areas of education — such as maintaining near-universal net enrolment at the primary level, improving pupil-teacher ratios and training nearly all teachers.