Comparative Studies in Special Education

10. Pakistan

10 Pakistan MAH NAZIRRIAZ In Pakistan, the term handicapped denotes those who are mentally retarded and physically handicapped; it includes those who are blind, orthopedically disabled, and deaf. The observance of 1981 as the International Year of the Disabled (IYD) under UN Resolution was a landmark in the history of Pakistan for the care, prevention, welfare, education, training, and rehabilitation of such disabled persons. It was the first time that programs were initiated in the public sector by the federal level. Between 1983 and 1988, a network of special education institutions for all four major disability groups-blind, deaf, physically handicapped, and mentally retarded-was established throughout Pakistan. Almost all of these institutes were located at the divisional headquarters and in big cities including Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). In addition , the National Institute of Special Education (NISE) was established at Islamabad in September 1987. This institute has organized numerous workshops , seminars, and other programs with the assistance of local and foreign experts, especiallyofthe aDA team from the United Kingdom, for the training of teachers and administrators of special education institutions. On 15 June About the Author • Dr. Mah Nazir Riaz is associate professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Peshawar, Pakistan. Her academic areas of interest are educational psychology, psychometrics, child development, and special education. She is a member of numerous national and international academic bodies including the International Council of Psychologists, the International Institute of Islamic Thought, the World Association of Mental Health, the Advanced Studies and Research Board of the University of Peshawar, and the National Curriculum Review Committee. She is also general secretary of Peshawar Mental Health Association, and a member of the Board of Governors of the Sheikh Zaid Islamic Center, University of Peshawar and the National Institute of Psychology, Center of Excellence , Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. 143 144 EMERGING SPECIAL EDUCATION 1988, the late General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, President of the Islarnic Republic of Pakistan, announced the establishment ofthe National Trust for the Disabled. This was a source of great pleasure for the entire nation and especially for the disabled, their parents, social workers, and agencies engaged in the serviceofdisabled persons. Prevalence of Exceptional Conditions There are no reliable data available concerning the prevalence rate of disabilities in Pakistan. Gathering information through door-to-door surveys has not so far been established as a trustworthy method of identifying disabilities in our country, due to the social stigma attached to abnormalities of all kinds and dislike by the general population for unwanted interviewers visiting their homes. As far as mild problems are concerned, a number of studies in Pakistan concerning the health of schoolchildren have demonstrated that a large number of students are suffering from anemia, malnutrition, dental problems , defective vision, blocked or infected ears, and chronic respiratory conditions . Besides these physical ailments, there is the further hazard of psychosocial disorders that indicate some of the invisible problems suffered by children from disturbed, poor, and discouraging home situations (Hassan 1979; Tareen et a1. 1983). The National Population Census held from 1 to 15 March 1981, included , for the first time in the history of Pakistan, a column on disability (blind, deaf-dumb, crippled, insane, mentally retarded). This provided muchneeded data for future planning and the development of specific programs for the welfare and development of handicapped persons. According to a Pakistan UNICEF Report (Abdullah 1981; Tareen 19:79), the incidence of disability ranges from .8 to 16.8 percent. The Directorate General of Special Education, Islamabad, published an estimate of prevalence of handicapping conditions among the general population in 19'86. According to this report, 10 to 15 percent of children in Pakistan suffer from disabilities. The report further shows that among various types of disabilities, physical disabilities represent the greatest number (40 percent). Visual and mental handicaps are 20 percent each, while hearing impairment and multiple handicaps each affect 10 percent of the population with disabilities. A recent study (Khan and Mirza 1992) was based on the case histories of 1,714 children with severe disabilities in the age range of three to sixteen years at forty-nine special education centers in thirty-three cities of Pakistan. This study confirmed the earlier findings that physical disabilities show the highest occurrence. The results show that 630 (36.7 percent) of the sample Pakistan 145 are physically handicapped. However, the percentages recorded in mental retardation (MR...