A UNESCO report notes how children living with disabilities are disproportionately left out of the education system in India as compared to the overall proportion of out-of-school children (The Indian Express, July 3). Some of its highlights: 78,64,636 children living with disabilities in India, making up 1.7% of the total child population. Proportion among boys (1.81%) than girls (1.58%). 3,68,697 five-year-olds living with disabilities. Of them, 27% attend educational institutions, 72% have never attended any; 1% have dropped out. 61% of CWDs aged 5-19 are attending an educational institution, compared to overall figure of 71% when all children are considered. 27% of CWDs never attended any educational institution, as opposed to the overall 17% for the entire child population. There is variation among states in school attendance of 5-19-year-olds. Goa and Kerala have a higher percentage of children with disabilities attending schools. Odisha and West Bengal have more children with disabilities dropping out of school than the national average. Over a third of the children with disabilities in the Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland have never attended an educational institution.
