Achieving SDG not possible without involving persons with disability in the dev work

Three out of four children with disabilities are out of the secondary school system, while 60 per cent do not attend conventional primary schools. According to a recent government research, just eight percent of them enrol in early childhood education at primary schools, with girls enrolling at a rate of 5.39 per cent compared to boys’ participation of 9.39 per cent. Despite a 2009 government directive to enrol children with special needs, many mainstream schools still refuse to accept students with disabilities. Even if they are admitted into mainstream primary schools, the unfriendly infrastructure and discouragement by teachers remains an obstacle for these children to continue their education.
Against this backdrop, the country is observing the International Day of Disabled Persons aiming to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development. If such a situation persists, children with disabilities will feel segregated from society. A preliminary report of the National Survey on Persons with Disabilities (NSPD) 2021 of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) published in June this year said among the children with disabilities, 40.55 per cent are attending primary education and 24.36 per cent are attending secondary education. The highest 70.73 per cent of children with disabilities in Chattogram division are not attending primary education while the lowest 34.61 per cent of such students in Sylhet are not attending elementary education.
Such a grim picture was painted by the study when the government pledged to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) with a target to eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous people and children in vulnerable situations by 2030. Besides constructing disabled-friendly infrastructures, such as ramps, disable friendly washrooms, social and family awareness on the rights and entitlement should be prioritised. Without including persons with disability in the mainstream development model, inclusive development is not possible.