Parliament Question: Availability of Special Educators in Schools

The Ministry of Education, responding to a Rajya Sabha question, clarified that under the Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI schemes, recruitment of Special Educators is a State/UT responsibility, with deployment at block or cluster level in an itinerant mode. The Department has notified a Pupil‑Teacher Ratio of one Special Educator per 10 CwSN at primary level and one per 15 CwSN at upper‑primary level (Notification S.O. 4586(E), 21‑09‑2022). According to UDISE+ 2025‑26, 1.17 lakh schools have a dedicated Special Educator, with a total enrolment of 2.21 million CwSN across India. State‑wise data on enrolment and schools with Special Educators is provided in the annexure. Capacity‑building measures include NISHTHA‑based online modules, handbooks by NCERT/CBSE, and two dedicated credits on Inclusive Education in the ITEP programme.