The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said that the persons with physical and mental disabilities should be given their due rights and accepted as useful members of the society.
He made these remarks on Tuesday while interacting with the members of a delegation of National Special Education Centre, Muzaffarabad, which called on him here at Aiwan-e- Sadr under the leadership of Senior Braille teacher Shamraiz Khan.
During the meeting, the delegation presented demands to the President and said that health allowance should be given to the teachers imparting education to special children, provision of adequate teaching staff to the centre, implementation of employment quota reserved for the persons with disabilities in government departments, training of teachers and establishment of Braille printing press for visually impaired persons.
Assuring that the demands of the National Special Education Centre would be considered to address; President Sardar Masood Khan said that it was a big challenge for the people with hearing and visual impairment to get equal opportunities for progress and prosperity.
“If equal opportunities are provided to the people with physical and mental disabilities they can stand on their own feet and play their role in the development of the country, instead of becoming a burden on the society,” he emphasised.
The AJK president said that providing equal opportunity to special people for development and making them useful and dignified citizens of the society is among the top priorities of the state government and no leniency will be shown in this regard.
The president assured the delegation of the Special Education Centre that all their legitimate demands would be conveyed to the concerned government department and they would be resolved. He said that imparting education to the 278 special children by the Special Education Centre is a commendable initiative which we wholeheartedly appreciate.
The disabled persons in the society deserved access to education and employment as their equitable right, and not as charity,” the president said and added, “Welfare of special persons and making them an active segment of society is our prime responsibility.”
