Kochi: In the 2023-24 state budget, 40 schools were exempted from the Rs 45 crore package allocated to special and BUDS schools. The government is of the position that only schools with twenty or more children under the age of 18 are eligible for the package. 

With this, the sustenance of other schools that cater to children with special needs is now under threat. A government-appointed Grant-in-Aid committee found that 273 special schools could not survive without government aid. The special school package garnered a total of 313 applications, and 40 schools were deemed ineligible and excluded from consideration by the committee.

Parents of differently-abled people who are above 18 years old are facing a crisis due to the government's decision to exclude them from receiving aid. In order to teach skills to these individuals, vocational training centres were set up alongside special schools. Although these institutions were allocated funds in the budget, they have not yet received the promised financial support. As a result, these centres are also at risk of being forced to close down.

Parents ensure their children with disabilities receive education by enrolling them in schools or vocational training centres. They advocate for education without age limits and access to benefits such as Ashwas Kiran and Welfare pensions.

When conducting inspections in connection with package distribution, the committee found that the schools were not fully complying with the norms.