KATHMANDU: The government has been working to prepare a master plan aimed at bringing the children with disabilities to schools.

Speaking at an interaction programme on 'Challenges facing students with visual impairment', Deputy Director at the Department of Education Ganesh Paudel said, "All school-age children with disabilities are not able to come to schools and the government has started preparing a master plan to ensure school education to them."

The programme was organised by the Education Journalists Group.

"Out of 500,000 differently-able school-age children, around 72,800 are deprived of education," he added.

The government would guarantee hostel and other additional facilities to bring and sustain children with seven types of disabilities to school, according to him.

At present, around 6,200 of them have been provided full scholarship from the government for their school education.

Under the government supervision and management, as many as 32 special schools are in operation targeting the students with disabilities.

Of them, 17 are for students with hearing disabilities, 14 for intellectually challenged and one for the visually impaired.

"The government is thinking to develop an alternative model of exam question papers for them," stated Paudel.