A class for students with disabilities (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Many policiesfor the disabled remain impractical and have yet to help students withdisabilities access tertiary education.
The information was revealed at a seminar oneducation access for disabled students held by the Disability Research andCapacity Development (DRD) centre on October 23 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam had about 6.1 million people withdisabilities or 7.8 percent of the population. The number of the people able toread and write between 16 and 24years old accounted for nearly 70 percent of the group, but only 0.1 percent ofVietnamese with disabilities attended colleges or universities.
Disabled students have to pay for such appropriatesupport equipment as mobility or hearing aid and specialised learningmaterials, aside from tuition fees. They also find it hard to get a part-timejob to get work experience.
Duong Phuong Hanh, Director of the Centrefor Research and Education of the Deaf, said there are numerous specialisedprimary schools for the community, but not many from secondary to highereducation. Learning becomes even harder for the disabled due to the lack ofsuitable materials and support.
According to Hoang Truong Giang, deputy headof the primary education office under the HCM City Department of Education andTraining, another issue, in addition to inadequate school facilities cateringto the needs of the disabled, is limited capacity of personnel in ranking degreesof disabilities to issue an official certificate that will help students andtheir teachers access Government support policies.
The number of managers, teachers andtrainers trained in special education still falls short of demand, he added.
Participants proposed reducing or removingof tuition fees for all students with disabilities.
Educational establishments need to invest insupport for different disabilities, they suggested.-VNA
VNA
