Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The government hostel in Ratibad where 50 specially-abled children live wears a down-at-the-heel look with broken doors, windows, cracking roof and walls. Toilets remain dirty. Water sips through the walls and roof in rainy season. There is no facility as such children require for survival.
The rickety hostel building may crumble any day and the children living in it are not in a position to run for cover. Electricity supply is erratic. Only water is available. Most rooms where children live are dingy. Many children are unable to speak, so their voice does not reach the higher-ups in the government.
The caretaker is also specially-abled who gets Rs 7,000 a month, which he has not received since November 2023. The hostel accommodates children who are up to 17 years of age including those who are hearing impaired, speech impaired, mentally ill, physical disabled and visually impaired. All the students are residents of Bhopal district and are enrolled in different government schools.
While some attend school regularly, most only visit during exam time. Special teachers conduct classes for these students in dedicated classrooms within hostel premises. Hostel caretaker Ankit Rai told Free Press that the school uniforms that come from government for the students are mostly of wrong size, often too large.
And not every student receives clothes or other necessary things from home. “So, we provide them when someone donates them,” added Rai. In the Bhopal district, there are 855 government schools where 1,400 specially-abled children study.
