ISLAMABAD, July 5: More than 70 per cent of special children in the country live in rural areas and much needs to be done for their rehabilitation, Federal Minister for Special Education and Social Welfare Zobaida Jalal said. She was presiding over the first meeting of the technical advisory group on inclusive education of the ministry here on Tuesday.

“Proper teacher training should be our top priority before inclusive education can be started effectively in the country,” the minister said.

She briefly talked about the ministry’s programme of inclusive education. Though there are numerous special education centres for special children, more investment is required in this regard, she said.

Ms Jalal said realizing the need for an inclusive system of education for special people, the government had worked out a policy to make the most of their potential through their mainstreaming.

Special education director-general also gave a brief overview of special education system in the country and provided some statistics that compelled the need for inclusive system of education.

He said a separate section of inclusive education had been set up at the directorate general of special education to coordinate with all the partners in the programme.

Topics which came under discussion during the meeting included the sharing of experience with those countries where the system of inclusive education was being run successfully; community awareness and mobilization; strengthening a viable environment for inclusive education in Pakistan; training and counselling of parents regarding pre-primary education of children with disabilities and involvement of other related ministries and NGOs in the process.

The meeting agreed that the ministries of education and social welfare & special education needed to work in close collaboration to achieve the goal of inclusive education.

The meeting was also attended by the secretary, social welfare & special education, Naeem Khan, Pakistan Baitul Mal Managing Director Brig (retired) Mohammad Sarfraz and officials of the ministries concerned.