PESHAWAR, Sept 16: Speakers at a seminar here expressed concern over the shortage of educational institutions for deaf and dumb children in the province and demand that the government should facilitate these children. “For 22,000, there are only six institutions in the province, which are not enough to cater to the needs of these children,” said Dr Naveed Yousaf, an ENT specialist, while addressing the seminar held at the press club to mark the World special Children Day here on Friday.

These institutions, which are located in six cities of the province, he said, accommodated only 600 special children. Thus, the rest did not have access to education, he added.

In these circumstance, these children were were likely to become burden on society, he deplored. He said there were only two postgraduate institutions for the special children in the country and urged for the establishment of more state-of-the-art institutions to provide higher education to these children.

According to him, these special children should be treated like normal children, saying that they are a national asset and could be converted to useful citizens by imparting them education.

About 80 per cent of the special children could be turned into normal children, provided they were given proper attention, he said.