Better education for disabled kids

By Zhao Yanrong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-06 11:43

Almost 3,000 mentally disabled students will graduate with the same qualifications as other students from next year.

Beijing municipal commission of education, Beijing municipal bureau of civil affairs and Beijing disabled persons' federation announced on Wednesday they would improve the education level of disabled children and young people.

The government said there are 3,704 disabled students enrolled at 24 special education schools in Beijing, including 23 primary and high schools and one university. In addition, there are 5,644 disabled children studying at 1,109 ordinary middle and primary schools with other students in Beijing.

Currently, disabled students are only awarded a certificate if they pass all subjects at a special school.

However under the new education policy, disabled students will graduate with a graduate diploma as long as they meet the requirements of graduation.

Lu Xiaohong, a press official with the Beijing municipal commission of education, said the policy would help disabled students who want to go on to higher education or find a job.

She said there are 2,986 such students in the city now.

The government said by the end of 2015, there would be one special education teacher supporting disabled students in each of their classes.

The city plans to add three independent special education schools by the end of 2010. Five special education day schools will be also transformed into boarding schools in Beijing's rural areas, so that every district and suburb would run a special education school for disabled students.

Children with autism or cerebral palsy will be able to study at home with teachers, the government said.

"What we are doing now is to ensure every disabled child can receive compulsory education, as long as they want to," she said.

Xu Jiacheng, dean of the special education school at the Beijing Union University, said there are only about 400 normal schools including universities in Beijing that provide special education teachers.

Promoting special education in Beijing also means more demand for special education teachers, Xu said.

"The number of high school students applying for the special education departments is growing too," he said.