No school for autistic children in Chandpur

There are no schools for autistic children in Chandpur, although there are hundreds of such children suffering utter neglect in the eight upazilas of the district.
 If nursed and cared for, they would be useful members of society, say social workers, academics and eminent citizens. They stressed the need to create social awareness among pregnant women and others about this problem.
 Contacted, Suman Chandra Nandi, Chandpur district unit’s handicapped affairs officer, told this correspondent that a survey conducted by his office found 25,142 mentally and physically disabled people in the district. About a thousand of them were autistic children of various ages in the district’s eight upazilas.
 There is special wing in Suman Chandra Nandi's office to treat autistic children. Around four to five such children come everyday from far-off places to be treated there. But there is no special school or institution for them in the district town, let alone in any of the eight upazilas.
No NGO has yet come forward to work in this vital area, lamented Ashish Majumder, a worried parent.
 Other parents told this correspondent they were suffering mental agony and anxiety for long in the absence of a school where they could send their challenged children.
 They said they also suffered from inferiority complex, finding it difficult to show or tell anyone about their autistic child. As a result, such children remain mostly confined at home with their parents reluctant to take them out.
 Many of them said they had been driven from pillar to post while seeking proper treatment and mental growth of their children.
 Autistic children are not admitted to any school in the town for the lack of trained teachers.
 In Chandpur district town, there is a small institution for mentally challenged children in Biponibagh Baazar, housed in a building called ‘Salam Manjil, on Abdul Karim Patwary Sarak. 
Protima Bhowmik, head teacher of that school, said there were some 75 physically and mentally disabled children there. Of them, 14 were autistic children of different ages coming from different upazilas of the district.
 The institution has five teachers and three non-teaching staff. This correspondent found the school located in a small rented tin-roofed house.
 The autistic children and 18 other “less-intelligent and mentally retarded children” attend classes in two small rooms. They are packed into the classroom in a cramped environment. There are not enough lights in the classrooms, and toys and learning aids are clearly inadequate. The teachers also complained of lack of open space where the children could play.
 The teachers were also aggrieved that they were “very much ill-paid” by the social welfare ministry in these days of spiralling prices. They get their monthly pay after three months as per the old National Pay Scale from the government. They say the government also does not give them any festival or Boishakhi bonus. They do not have retirement benefits that non-government teachers and staff are entitled to despite performing the challenging task of teaching autistic and less-intelligent handicapped children for years. 
When asked,  Nupur (12) and Sayeed (12), two students of the school, could not tell their names, although another autistic child, Fatema Akter (8), could recite a verse slowly and haltingly in front of her teachers in the office room.
 The government is laying much emphasis on the problems of autistic children. Md Abdur Rahman, a professor of social work at the National University, and Dr Nahid Sultana, a physiotherapist, said that specialised schools for autistic children should be opened at all the government-run orphanages located in the district headquarters.
 They said such facilities could be first introduced in Chandpur district town, where the government orphanage had a big green and sylvan campus. 
The ministry concerned should take steps in a humane and sympathetic manner to open specialised schools for autistic children in each district town, they added.

No school for autistic children in Chandpur

There are no schools for autistic children in Chandpur, although there are hundreds of such children suffering utter neglect in the eight upazilas of the district. If nursed and cared for, they would be useful members of society, say social workers, academics and eminent citizens. They stressed the need to create social awareness among pregnant women and others about this problem. Contacted, Suman Chandra Nandi, Chandpur district units handicapped affairs officer, told this correspondent that a survey conducted by his office found 25,142 mentally and physically disabled people in the district. About a thousand of them were autistic children of various ages in the districts eight upazilas. There is special wing in Suman Chandra Nandis office to treat autistic children. Around four to five such children come everyday from far-off places to be treated there. But there is no special school or institution for them in the district town, let alone in any of the eight upazilas. No NGO has yet come forward to work in this vital area, lamented Ashish Majumder, a worried parent. Other parents told this correspondent they were suffering mental agony and anxiety for long in the absence of a school where they could send their challenged children. They said they also suffered from inferiority complex, finding it difficult to show or tell anyone about their autistic child. As a result, such children remain mostly confined at home with their parents reluctant to take them out. Many of them said they had been driven from pillar to post while seeking proper treatment and mental growth of their children. Autistic children are not admitted to any school in the town for the lack of trained teachers. In Chandpur district town, there is a small institution for mentally challenged children in Biponibagh Baazar, housed in a building called Salam Manjil, on Abdul Karim Patwary Sarak. Protima Bhowmik, head teacher of that school, said there were some 75 physically and mentally disabled children there. Of them, 14 were autistic children of different ages coming from different upazilas of the district. The institution has five teachers and three non-teaching staff. This correspondent found the school located in a small rented tin-roofed house. The autistic children and 18 other less-intelligent and mentally retarded children attend classes in two small rooms. They are packed into the classroom in a cramped environment. There are not enough lights in the classrooms, and toys and learning aids are clearly inadequate. The teachers also complained of lack of open space where the children could play. The teachers were also aggrieved that they were very much ill-paid by the social welfare ministry in these days of spiralling prices. They get their monthly pay after three months as per the old National Pay Scale from the government. They say the government also does not give them any festival or Boishakhi bonus. They do not have retirement benefits that non-government teachers and staff are entitled to despite performing the challenging task of teaching autistic and less-intelligent handicapped children for years. When asked, Nupur (12) and Sayeed (12), two students of the school, could not tell their names, although another autistic child, Fatema Akter (8), could recite a verse slowly and haltingly in front of her teachers in the office room. The government is laying much emphasis on the problems of autistic children. Md Abdur Rahman, a professor of social work at the National University, and Dr Nahid Sultana, a physiotherapist, said that specialised schools for autistic children should be opened at all the government-run orphanages located in the district headquarters. They said such facilities could be first introduced in Chandpur district town, where the government orphanage had a big green and sylvan campus. The ministry concerned should take steps in a humane and sympathetic manner to open specialised schools for autistic children in each district town, they added.