KATHMANDU: Lack of effective enforcement of the Act Relating to Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2074 (2017) has its implications in the overall life of people with disabilities including in educational opportunities for the children with disabilities.
The National Federation of the Disabled, Nepal (NFDN) has sought the effective implementation of the Act so as to ensure access of people with disabilities to education.
NFDN General Secretary Raju Basnet said 40.5 percent of school-age children with disabilities have remained out of schools and substantive efforts from the government bodies are missing to address this gap.
The UNICEF, Nepal report states that 30 percent of children (aged 5-12) with disabilities are not attending schools. According to the government report, there are 973,900 children attending the 35,993 child development centers operated by the government, and of them, the number of children with disabilities stands at 3,270.
More, we have the report that of the cases of violence against women with disabilities, 21 percent happen in academic institutions. Similarly, just one in each eight with disabilities requiring several assistance materials has been provided such materials.
The NFDN has demanded the government continue with the production and dissemination of the right information about disabilities and training and orientation for government employees and people’s representatives from federal to local levels on the topic.
The NFDN presses for the promotion of curricula on disabilities at universities and schools.
The Act has the provision that if any person violates the right of a person with disability conferred by the Act or fails to perform the responsibility towards him or her, the person shall be liable to punishment with a fine not exceeding fifty thousand rupees.
The grievance of persons with disabilities is that when they reach schools for enrollment with the disabled identity card, they are sent back on different pretexts.
The National Census-2011 puts the population of persons with disabilities at 1.94 percent, but the community of persons with disabilities themselves, related organizations, and the international community have doubt over the credibility issue of the figure.
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