LAHORE: In a significant intervention aimed at bridging gaps in special education, the Multan divisional administration has provided hearing aids to more than 300 children aged between four and 15 years across the division, enabling many of them to potentially hear and eventually speak for the first time.

The initiative, led by Multan Division Commissioner Amir Karim Khan, was implemented with the support of philanthropists, business groups and corporate donors, who stepped forward to fund assistive devices for children whose families could not afford them.

Officials said the effort covered students enrolled in government special education institutions in Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran and Vehari districts.

According to the administration, dedicated medical boards examined 3,030 students with hearing and speech impairments, identifying over 300 children, who could significantly benefit from hearing aids. So far, 263 children have received the devices, while the remaining are scheduled to receive them by April 30, completing the first phase of the programme.

The initiative titled “Sound for the Students” also integrates speech therapy, allowing beneficiaries to develop verbal communication skills within months of intervention.

Officials said the structured engagement with donors ensured that the programme remained impact-oriented, with clear targets and timelines, rather than a one-time distribution exercise.

Beyond the numbers, the intervention is already reshaping lives inside classrooms.

Teachers at special education schools say several children who previously showed no response to sound have started reacting after being fitted with hearing aids.

“Some of them are recognising voices, turning towards sounds and attempting to repeat words. It’s the beginning of a completely different future for them.” said a teacher in Khanewal.

Commissioner Khan said the idea for the initiative emerged during a ceremony of special children, where he learned from education officials that a number of students labelled as hearing impaired could actually regain hearing if provided timely intervention.

“That realisation highlighted a serious gap in our system,” he told Dawn, adding that admissions to special education institutions currently relied on disability certification without mandatory, detailed audiological assessment.

To address this, the commissioner has proposed institutional reforms through a concept paper submitted to the government. The proposal calls for the establishment of medical boards in every district to conduct compulsory assessments at the time of admission, ensuring early diagnosis and immediate provision of assistive devices.

The concept also introduces a time-bound mechanism including a 15 days assessment window linking medical evaluation with administrative action and resource mobilisation, so that no child is left waiting for years for basic support.

The commissioner believes that if adopted at the provincial level, the model could transform special education by ensuring early intervention, improved learning outcomes and better social integration for children with hearing impairments.

He said that he was also attending the ceremonies where the hearing aids were being distributed and had also witnessed that as the hearing aids were administered, the children started listening and also tried to respond in their special voices which only their teachers could understand.

He said that the change was already visible in classrooms across the Multan division where many children were beginning to experience a world filled with sound for the first time.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2026