Bhubaneswar: State BJP President Manmohan Samal has written a letter to Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar for continuance of support to State collaborated NIEPVD Centre-TCTVH (presently SISER) at Bhubaneswar and continuance of Teaching Staff appointed by NIEPVD there.
Referring to an earlier letter written by State School and Mass Education Minister on this matter, Shri Samal said that, TCTVH (Training Centre for the Teachers of the Visually Handicapped), now known as SISER (State Institute of Special Education & Research) situated at Bhubaneswar was established in 1987 in collaboration with National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), Dehradun.
On request of NIEPVD based on a decision of its executive council (EC), the State Government declared this Centre as a permanent one in March 2004, he pointed out.
As per the agreement made between the State and NIEPVD, three teaching staff were appointed and engaged by NIEPVD in Bhubaneswar and the Centre has been running smoothly for nearly four decades in creating manpower for the Special Schools operating in the State in the field of Visual Disability. Further, the Centre has its own credibility as a Resource Centre of the State, Samal said.
However, he said, in a correspondence received by the SISER in March last year, the NIEPVD has decided to discontinue the grant to run Diploma level courses run by SISER after August 2024, on completion of batch 2022-24 of the course and to call back the lecturers appointed for the purpose in SISER to Dehradun. A final closure letter was also issued on July 25, 2024 to this effect.
The SSEPD Department has several times intimated NIEPVD to take the State Government into confidence for taking a decision in the matter bilaterally and continue the Grant till alternative arrangement is made by the State Government. But, NIEPVD has been reiterating the same decision of EC and GC of the Institute on the matter, the State BJP chief said expressing displeasure.
He sought personal intervention of the Union Minister into the matter and passed necessary orders to keep the grant continued for the greater interest of the huge visually challenged masses of the State and make the three staff to be remaining posted here till alternative arrangements by the State are made, which is under active consideration of Odisha Government.
Shri Samal sought an early communication in the matter to run the centre smoothly without disrupting the educational session and avoiding sudden dislocation.