Ministry for Special Education has geared up the process of establishing Special Education Centers across the country. Official sources told APP on Sunday that currently, the ministry is running its training centres in 42 districts whereas five centres are under construction and would be completed soon.
"The process of constructing more centres has been initiated in compliance with the orders of President, Asif Ali Zardari for setting up Special education centres in each district," added the sources.
They said a portion of Special Education Centre Jhang has been completed and started functioning in it, whereas the building would be completed in February 2010. Special Education Centre in Mirpurkhas, Kohat, Hunza and Sibbi would be completed in the near future, they informed. There is only one centre in Karachi working under the federal ministry, which can not cater the needs of its population, they said adding that PC -1 for establishing another centre was approved in 1989 but is yet to be constructed.
Development of the approved centre was delayed due to lack of funds, said the sources adding that when the funds were available, they came to know that a polytechnic institute for girls was established at the land allotted for the center.
"The main hurdle in establishing Special Education and Training Centre is non availability of land," the sources said and added that the provincial governments were not co-operating with the ministry for the provision of land.