The Education of Children with Special Needs: Barriers and Opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost border state of India has reached approximately 1.25 Crore population (Census, 2011) which is an increase of 23.71 percent from the past decade. The sharp increase in population growth and decline in mortality rate has increased pressure on the educational system by way of increasing the demand for access to education. The state which has a literacy rate of 68.74 % has been grappling with many problems including poverty, lack of resources for maintaining the huge educational infrastructure and the continued violence which has hit the education sector badly since past 20 years. Special and inclusive education is in practice in J&K as it is in the other states of the country. But the State Government has not been able to do much for special children in the state. The present paper would try to focus on the Status, Challenges, Responses and Prospectus with regard to Jammu and Kashmir. It would also explore issues like bias against children with special needs, insufficiency of funding, no access to expertise and public services and the parental biases towards children at special needs.