China to improve education for disabled children

2017-07-28
Xinhua

BEIJING — More than 95 percent of China’s disabled children and teenagers will receive compulsory education by 2020, according to a plan issued on July 28.

The 2017-2020 plan, jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and six other ministries, aims to improve the coverage of compulsory education for China’s disabled children.

The plan said that district and county governments should confirm information of disabled children at school age and make sure they receive compulsory education in special education schools, regular schools, child welfare organizations or through home schooling.

By 2020, at least one special education school should be set up in regions that have a population of more than 300,000 and a considerable number of disabled children, according to the plan.

The plan guarantees more funding for disabled children and encourages nongovernment and nonprofit organizations to provide special education services to disabled people.

Since the first plan on improving education for disabled children was put into use in 2014, about 124,000 disabled children have been admitted to schools, 34 percent higher than in 2013.