BHUBANESWAR: Non-supply of Braille textbooks at secondary and higher secondary level is creating resentment among visually-challenged students. They alleged that while sometimes books are supplied when the course is half way through, at times, the students are forced to do without books. “The number of books printed for secondary and higher secondary students in the Braille Press in Ganjam does not suffice,” said Sanyas Behera, former secretary of Orissa Association for Blind, talking to this paper. The Braille Press, the only of its kind in the State, has been supplying 12,000 textbooks for visually- challenged students up to Class VII in 40 schools of the State. Since 2006, the OPEPA has been purchasing the textbooks from the Press and supplying them to students. As the books are insufficient, most students depend on the State Talking Book Centre where chapters are recorded in audio CDs and cassettes and supplied to students through educational institutions. “But the State Talking Book Centre, which receives a grant of ` 3 lakh per annum for production of study materials for visually-challenged students, is lying almost defunct since its inception in 1996, alleged Behera. Recently, visually-challenged students had taken to the streets protesting the non-functioning of the Book Centre and sought immediate intervention of the State Government. Under the Women and Child Welfare Department (W & CD), the Book Centre along with the Training Centre for Teachers of the Visually-Impaired has been functioning on the premises of State Institute for Rural Development (SIRD) here. Behera further alleged that like the Book Centre, the training centre for teachers is lying non-functional too. The training centre, offering two-year diploma training course for teachers for blind students, was set up as a joint venture between the State Government and the Centre.“The institute is all set to celebrate its silver jubilee this year. But, the irony is there are neither classes nor basic facilities, such as hostels and toilets,” said Lekharam Bhoi, secretary of All Orissa Students’ Union of the Visually-Impaired. Refuting the allegations, Social Welfare Officer (W & CD Department) and course coordinator of both the Book Centre and teachers’ training centre, Chandana Mohanty, said the department was taking all measures to ensure proper functioning of both the centres. “Though preparation of audio CDs and cassettes takes time, we supply the materials regularly as per the requirement,” she said. On the teachers’ training centre, Mohanty said that three lecturers had been posted at the centre to train teachers. Every year, 25 students pass out from the centre.
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