Dec 11, Kathmandu: Although there is a separate school for children with autism in Gulmi, there is a problem due to the lack of teachers. Parents are forced to stay in school all day because there is no teacher in the autism school in Ruru Kshetra Rural Municipality-1 of the district.

Sukmaya Hiski of Purvkhola Rural Municipality-1 of Palpa lives in Butwal to educate her son. When her son was diagnosed with autism, she started looking for a similar school. Sukamaya, who had gone to Butwal from Palpa, had to come to Gulmi to teach her son. "When I saw a problem in a child, I used to tie him up and lock him in a room," she says, "I came here after being told that there is such a school in Gulmi".

She said that she had to stay in the school all day because there was no teacher. Sukmaya says that it will be a lot of relief if there are facilities with accommodation along with teachers.

Rita Pandey Paudel of Rurukshetra-1 in Gulmi was also in trouble after her child showed abnormal behavior. After the problem was not identified, she was forced to keep her children at home and got relief when she came in contact with the autism school. Pandey said that there was some change in the learning of autistic children when the parents who brought the children taught each other, but there was a problem in the absence of teachers.

Parents Sukmaya, Rita, and another Vimala Pariyar have been facilitating the learning of other children as volunteers. Autism is a special brain condition. Although children with autism have a normal physical condition, they have poor social skills, communication skills, and learning abilities.

Autism Pathshala Nepal was established in 2074 at the initiative of a leading local social worker in Rurukshetra. At present, 14 children with autism come to the school for learning. Earlier, a five-room building was built for the school with the help of donations.

Since there is no teacher in the school, three parents have been teaching the children together. They are called volunteer teachers by the school. President of Autism Pathshala Nepal, Amrita Bhandari, says that the lack of toilets, lack of kitchens and lack of teachers are the problems faced by the schools.

"After we opened an autism school on the initiative of a leading social worker, such children and their parents have been relieved", she says, "We have had to suffer a lot because there are no teachers from the state level."

Hari Gyawali, the spokesperson of the Ruru Region Rural Municipality, said that support will be provided to the school on behalf of the rural municipality. He has said that he will soon manage so that there will be no shortage of teaching staff and he will take initiatives for teachers in higher bodies as well.