Despite the steady increase in the enrollment of physically challenged students in Odisha’s higher educational institutions (HEIs), the universities in the State are found wanting in disabled-friendly features and infrastructure required for these disadvantaged sections.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its latest audit report tabled in the Odisha Assembly said “the number of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) students in HEIs has been gradually increasing, yet the colleges and universities were not equipped with the required facilities for them”.

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Pointing out that PwD students’ admission in HEIs has registered a steady rise in a five-year period, the CAG audit stated the HEIs in the “State were not making satisfactory efforts to provide basic infrastructure facilities to enable them access to higher educational institutions. Thus the desired outcome of equity in access to education is yet to be achieved”.

The year-wise break-up of PwD students in HEIs is 1050 in 2014-15, 1274 in 2015-16, 1481 in 2016-17, 1567 in 2017-18 and 1961 in 2018-19, according to the audit findings.

Notwithstanding the claims of authorities of the Utkal University, State’s premiere varsity that 80% of its buildings were disabled-friendly, the CAG audit found that nine out of 27 departments lacked facilities.

The physical infrastructure for the PwDs available in the university as a whole was not adequate. Things as far as providing disabled-friendly infrastructure to PwD students is concerned are also no better in the North Odisha University (NOU)

The Persons with Disabilities (PwD) Act, 1955 indicates that differently-abled persons should have access to education at all levels. Report on ‘Inclusive and qualitative expansion in higher education’ issued on 12th five-year plan envisages improvement in basic infrastructure facilities to enable access for differently-abled students of all institutions of higher education.

Further, during accreditation of an institution, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established in 1994 as an autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission, considers availability of physical facilities such as lifts, ramps, Braille software, restrooms, scribes for examinations, skill development in an institution, the report noted.

Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), envisaged conversion of all buildings into fully disabled-friendly to improve access, ensure special facilities and equipment for the disabled students, to make the campus disabled-friendly, the CAG report reiterated.