Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has inaugurated Sindh digital classrooms for special children, launching 49 new digital classrooms and 20 satellite schools across the province alongside a new sign language teacher training program.
Speaking at a ceremony organized by the Special Education Department, the chief minister said the provincial government is committed to providing quality education to every child and using modern technology to improve learning opportunities for special children. The initiative marks one of the largest single expansions of special education infrastructure in the province in recent years.
Sindh Digital Classrooms Initiative: What It Includes
The new digital classrooms are equipped with smart boards, e-learning tools, and other modern educational facilities aimed at helping students adapt confidently to the digital world. CM Murad Ali Shah said that infrastructure and technology alone are not enough, and that meaningful progress also depends on the people who use these facilities.
As part of the initiative, the Sindh government has also launched a sign language teacher training program in collaboration with Deaf Reach and FESF. The program is aimed at improving the professional skills of teachers working with special children, ensuring that the new digital infrastructure is matched by better-trained staff who can make full use of it.
Alongside the digital classrooms, 20 new satellite schools for special children have also been established, extending access to specialized education services in areas that previously had limited or no such facilities nearby. The chief minister reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to the education, welfare, and rehabilitation of special children across Sindh.
Officials from the Special Education Department say the rollout will continue in phases, with additional digital classrooms planned for districts that currently lack adequate special education infrastructure. Training sessions for teachers on how to use the new smart boards and e-learning tools are also being organized as part of the wider program.
Scale of Special Education Support Across Sindh
Around 20,000 students are currently enrolled in 67 special education institutions across Sindh. Students at these institutions receive free education, rehabilitation services, physiotherapy, speech therapy, transportation, and nutritious meals as part of a comprehensive support package.
Each enrolled student is also provided a monthly stipend of Rs. 3,000, which is intended to ease the financial burden on families and encourage continued attendance and participation in the specialized programs offered by these institutions.
Officials say the expansion of digital classrooms and satellite schools is expected to bring specialized education services closer to families in underserved areas, reducing the distance many students previously had to travel to access appropriate schooling. The sign language training component is also expected to gradually improve communication and learning outcomes for deaf and hard-of-hearing students across the province’s special education network.
Education officials and disability rights advocates have welcomed the announcement, noting that consistent investment in both infrastructure and teacher training is necessary for lasting improvement in outcomes for special children, rather than one-off infrastructure announcements alone. Parents of enrolled students have also responded positively, saying that better facilities and trained staff can make a meaningful difference in their children’s daily learning experience.
The Sindh government says it will continue monitoring the performance of the new digital classrooms over the coming months, with plans to publish progress updates and gather feedback from teachers, students, and families to refine the program further in the weeks and months ahead as more classrooms come online across additional districts.
For more on how Pakistani institutions are using technology to support learning, see our coverage of the OxfordAQA teacher training sessions across Pakistan, which similarly focus on strengthening classroom practice through professional development. For the original report, see ProPakistani’s coverage of the Sindh initiative.