Policy initiatives stressed for retaining children with disabilities in schools

KARNALI: Statistics show that in Karnali Province, as children with disabilities progress to higher grades in school, they tend to drop out.

Kaladhar Bhandari, advisor of Youth Association Nepal, shared this data at the ‘Provincial-Level Policy Dialogue Programme on the Rights of Children with Disabilities’ organized by the Association in Birendranagar on Tuesday.

Presenting the statistics, Bhandari said, “The enrollment rate of children with disabilities in school is low, and as their level of education increases, they gradually drop out.”

He said that when accessible secondary education is not available nearby, children tend to leave school by grade 8, and this does not change even with identification/assessment, continuous evaluation, individual education plans, proper adjustments, and follow-up support.