Disabled Education Set as a PriorityMore learning programs, ranging from primary to vocational education, will be offered to children with physical or mental difficulties, the Ministry of Education officials said.The ministry has signed contracts with regional educational administrations to spread the word about special education programs for physically disabled and mentally retarded children, ministry officials said. To ensure more job opportunities for mentally or physically disabled children, regional education administrations and labor departments will issue regulations to help disabled youths find jobs after they receive special education, said department officials. Before the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the nation had only 42 special schools for the blind and deaf. Today, China has 1,535 special schools in which 358,400 youngsters and adults who have physical or mental problems are enrolled. The schools have pre-school, fundamental, vocational and higher education programs. Still, more effort is needed to provide wider education opportunities for disadvantaged children, said department officials. Currently, the percentage of disabled children attending special schools is less than 5 per cent; for non-disabled children, it is nearly 99 per cent. In China, special education targets physically disabled and mentally retarded children. Such special education programs also enroll children with difficulties involving mood and behavior control, communication, socializing, morality and psychological disorders. If measured by international norms, China has a total of 20 million children who need special education, according to the information department. Training a physically disabled or mentally retarded teenager costs an average of 4,000 yuan (US$482) a year; while training a non-disabled teenager costs 1,200 yuan (US$145) annually. Insufficient funds for special education have hindered the construction of more schools, said Wang Minyang, who is in charge of special education in the Department for Basic Education of the Ministry of Education. (China Daily) |
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