A special education programme must be seen in the overall perspective of habilitation and rehabilitation of persons with mental retardation, keeping in view diverse socio-economic settings, rural/urban location, specific cultural groups and specific needs of persons with mental retardation pertaining to age, severity, family background, ecological and social milieu. It is well recognized that children of the school-going age with mental retardation will require services from different professionals. A special education programme should be able to assimilate knowledge and skills from different disciplines and integrate and include them into the educational programme where specialists would continue to serve as essential resource persons. The Manpower Development Report on Mental Retardation developed by RCI envisages professional preparation for different categories of functioning: teaching, education, rehabilitation and vocational training, supervision and administration. The policy of RCI is to review the course curriculum after every five years to incorporate the recent development. In view of the above, D.Ed. Spl. Ed. (MR) course, which was revised in 2008, needs a fresh look on the basis of many recent developments in the field of mental retardation. The RCI has, therefore, invited the members of the Expert Committee for the development of training programmes for the categories of Special Teachers for educating and training the persons with mental retardation at diploma level to go through the course structure, content, duration and all other allied issues. The present document is the outcome of an extensive exercise that has gone into the process of updating it. This field is generating a lot of new job opportunities for the Trained Graduates as follows:

1. Under the scheme ‘RMSA (RASHTRIYA MADHYAMIK SHIKSHA ABHIYAN), a special teacher is appointed in all general Schools. The need for such trained teachers may arise at the Central Level.

2. After completing this training course a teacher can work as a Resource Teacher in Integrated Schools.

3. It is possible to work as a Special Teacher in Special Schools all over India.

4. Apart from this, such a trained teacher may work as teacher in Special Colleges D.Ed./B.Ed. Colleges.

5. Trained candidates can conduct Special Coaching Classes for children with learning problems such as, learning disability, scholastic backwardness, emotionally disturbed, ADHD, intellectually challenged.

In addition to the above a lot of opportunities for employment are available in CBR.