Archive · 16 Sep 2026
Bhopal Students Protest Shortage As Madhya Pradesh Lacks Special Educators
Students with disabilities in Madhya Pradesh need teachers with special training.
Many schools do not have enough of these teachers.
In Bhopal, students from a school for visually and hearing-impaired children protested about the shortage.
They also said their school lacked basic facilities.
The school has 190 students but only three special educators.
Students asked for a teacher who understands sign language.
A sign-language teacher from Chhattisgarh was sent back.
The school principal said guest-faculty recruitment advertisements would be issued soon.
Madhya Pradesh has 1,58,599 CWSN students but dedicated special educators in only 9,360 schools.
The state has one special educator for every 17 CWSN students, exceeding notified pupil-teacher ratios.
Students at Bhopal’s Government Higher Secondary School for the Visually Impaired protested shortages of teachers and basic facilities.
The school has 190 visually and hearing-impaired students, three special educators, and no current sign-language interpreter.
The government discontinued 252 special educators in July and later announced 762 special-teacher posts.
- Who
- Students with visual and hearing impairments, school authorities, and Madhya Pradesh’s education system are involved.
- What
- Students protested inadequate special educators, the lack of a sign-language interpreter, and poor facilities.
- When
- The latest protest occurred on Tuesday; UDISE+ figures cited cover the 2025-26 school year, and 252 educators were discontinued in July.
- Where
- Government Higher Secondary School for the Visually Impaired in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Students said the school lacked sufficient teaching staff and basic facilities, including sign-language support.
Students’ Demands
School Administration’s Response
Teacher recruitment
Students’ Demands
Students are demanding more teaching staff, including a teacher proficient in sign language.
School Administration’s Response
The principal said an advertisement for guest-faculty recruitment would be issued soon.
Sign-language support
Students’ Demands
Students raised the absence of a sign-language interpreter after Kalpana Mishra was sent back to Chhattisgarh.
School Administration’s Response
The school currently has no reported replacement for the teacher who had been deputed from Chhattisgarh.
Facilities and staffing
Students’ Demands
Students protested inadequate basic facilities and the school’s three special educators for 190 students.
School Administration’s Response
The reported government response includes announcing 762 special-teacher posts, although the state has also discontinued 252 educators’ services.
- CWSN enrollment
- 1,58,599 students in Madhya Pradesh during 2025-26
- Schools with dedicated special educators
- 9,360
- Statewide educator ratio
- One special educator for every 17 CWSN students
- Notified PTR
- One educator per 10 CWSN students at primary level and per 15 at upper-primary level
- Bhopal school enrollment
- 190 visually and hearing-impaired students
- Bhopal school staffing
- Three special educators
- Workforce changes
- 252 services discontinued in July; 762 special-teacher posts later announced