Metro India News | AMARAVATI

The Andhra Pradesh government has proposed the establishment of 125 new special needs schools across the state, announced State Minister for Education, IT, and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, in the Legislative Assembly.

During the Question Hour session, Yelamanchili MLA Sundarapu Vijayakumar emphasized the importance of maintaining an appropriate teacher-student ratio in special needs education, ensuring that children receive the necessary support to become self-reliant. Responding to this, Minister Lokesh stated that the central government, through the Rehabilitation Council, has identified 21 categories of disabilities, with special education provisions for nine of them.

Currently, the state runs 679 Bhavitha Centers, employing 1,358 special educators. These centers cater to 41,119 registered children with special needs. Based on the allocations in the central budget for the 2025-26 financial year, the state has proposed the addition of 125 new centers—one in each municipality. Minister Lokesh expressed confidence that the proposal would receive full approval.

As per regulations, the teacher-student ratio should be maintained at 1:10 for primary education and 1:15 for secondary education. Additional recruitments will be made at the secondary level. The minister assured that a committee of legislators would be formed to explore new teaching technologies and methods to enhance special needs education in the state.