Key points

  • Punjab’s Special Education Department has begun a five‑day, door‑to‑door survey across the entire province.
  • The census aims to locate children who require special‑education support and to map the obstacles they encounter in accessing schooling.
  • Heads of special‑education schools, classroom teachers and community volunteers will conduct the fieldwork together.
  • Findings will feed into provincial planning, enabling more precise programmes and resource allocation for inclusive education.

The province launched the rapid canvassing on Monday, dispatching teams to every urban neighbourhood and rural village in Punjab. Over the next five days, volunteers will visit households, ask parents about their children’s learning difficulties, and record information on physical, cognitive and sensory impairments. By involving school principals and teachers in the data‑gathering process, the department hopes to capture not only the number of children in need but also the specific gaps in services—such as lack of trained staff, inaccessible classrooms, or insufficient assistive devices.

Punjab, home to more than 110 million people, has long struggled with an accurate picture of its special‑needs population. The last province‑wide estimate dates back to 2018 and covered only a handful of districts, leaving policymakers to rely on fragmented data. This comprehensive survey follows the provincial government’s pledge under the national Right to Education Act and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 target for inclusive schooling, both of which call for “no child left behind” regardless of ability.

Officials say the collected statistics will shape the next phase of Punjab’s inclusive‑education strategy, guiding the allocation of funds for teacher training, the establishment of resource rooms, and the provision of transport or adaptive learning tools where they are most required. If successful, the initiative could set a precedent for other provinces and help Pakistan move closer to meeting its international commitments on education for children with disabilities.