Around three-fourths of the children with disabilities are out of the secondary school system, while 60 percent do not attend conventional primary schools.
According to a recent government research, just eight percent of them enroll in early childhood education at primary schools, with girls enrolling at a rate of 5.39 percent compared to boys' participation of 9.39 percent.
Parents claimed that despite a 2009 government directive to enroll children with special needs, many mainstream schools "still refuse" to accept students with disabilities.
"Even if they are admitted by mainstream primary schools, the unfriendly infrastructure and discouragement by teachers remain as an obstacle for these children to continue their education," said Mahbubur Rahman, a guardian in the capital's Mirpur area.
Against this backdrop, the country is observing International Day of Disabled Persons aiming to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development.
According to education activists, if such a situation persists, children with disabilities will feel segregated from society.
Preliminary report of the National Survey on Persons with Disabilities (NSPD) 2021 of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) published in June this year said among the children with disabilities, 40.55 percent are attending primary education and 24.36 percent are attending secondary education.
This report was prepared based on interviews conducted at 36,000 households across the country.
Highest 70.73 percent of children with disabilities in Chattogram division are not attending primary education while lowest 34.61 percent such students in Sylhet are not attending elementary education.
Again, the highest 88.70 percent children with disabilities in Barishal division are not attending primary education and lowest 64.47 percent children of Rangpur division are not attending the same level of schools.
Such a grim picture was painted by the study when the government pledged to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal with a target to eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous people and children in vulnerable situations by 2030.
Contacted, Director General Shah Rezwan Hayat of the Directorate of Primary Education and DG Professor Nehal Ahmed of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education acknowledged that many of their old schools lacked facilities like ramps, special washrooms, and classrooms to provide education to children with disabilities.
They both said they are ensuring the facilities while constructing new buildings.
Action will be taken against teachers who refused to admit children with special needs, if they received any specific complaints, they added.
