On the instructions of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Minister for Education and Primary and Mass Education ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon visited Blue Sky School – a specialised educational institution for students with special needs operated by Bangladesh Air Force – on Sunday and issued several key directives, including reducing admission fees for children of the general public and enhancing facilities.
Speaking during the visit, the minister said the tuition fees at the institution are extremely high.
He said, “The prime minister instructed me to inspect the school and take appropriate measures on how to increase facilities for the institution run for children with special needs, how to make admission easier for children of the general public, and how to further reduce expenses.”
He further said that a single teacher cannot manage more than five students as they are autistic, making operations very expensive, with a specialised teacher looking after just one student in certain cases.
Observing that there is a one-to-one ratio between teachers and students in some classes, the minister advised considering ways to bring down these costs.
He added that a plan would be formulated in the future to train educated parents of the school so that their services can be utilised.
The minister also stressed the importance of providing government support to the institution.
He expressed hope that through modernisation of the school and its specialised education system, it will be possible to effectively address the challenges of autism.
Governing Body Chairman of the school Air Commodore Md Abbas Ali, Director of the Education Division at Air Force Headquarters Air Commodore Imranur Rahman, and Principal of Blue Sky School Group Captain Md Nur Ullah were present during the inspection at the school, located adjacent to the old airport field in the capital’s Tejgaon.
