Dinh Thi Lan was one of 184 teachers who received a certificate of merit from the Ministry of Education and Training on Thursday in Ha Noi for their love . . .

Disabled children learn music in their class at the Quang Xuan Disabled Children Centre in the central Quang Binh Province.

Lan said she looked so small and weak when she stood at the door of her class that her heart melted.

Because Thuong was too weak to walk, Lan had to carry her to her desk – something she has had to do every school day since then.

It took two months for Thuong to learn how to write with her left hand – her right hand was too feeble.

Nine months later, Thuong won top prize in a handwriting contest organised provincial authorities.

Lack of opportunities

About 700,000 out of Viet Nam’s 1 million children with disabilities have never been to school.

The education ministry fell well short of achieving its target of having 70 per cent of all children with disabilities attend school this year.

Le Tien Thanh, director of the Department of Primary Education, blamed this on a lack of synchronisation among ministries and provincial education departments.

“The implementation of [the education ministry’s plan] has been haphazard and unprofessional,” Thanh said.

Even though integrated secondary education was a main goal of the ministry, detailed policies had yet to be formulated, he added.

Thanh said there were also shortages of textbooks, curricula guidance and training documents.

He added that without detailed policies, the ministry’s 70 per cent target could not be achieved before 2015.

Annually, the ministry organises training programmes for teachers working with disabled children, while 800 teachers are sent abroad annually to learn about other countries’ experiences.

In 2000, the number of children with disabilities attending school accounted for just 24 per cent of the total, and most of them were at primary level. In 2008, 390,000 disabled children of primary and secondary school age attended school, while there were 7,500 disabled children studying at 106 special education centres.

According to reports from around the country, in the 2008 – 09 academic year, the proportion of disabled students attending school achieving average or above grades was 48.5 per cent.

The Steering Committee for Education for Children with Disabilities suggested that favourable policies for teachers who teach at integrated schools be implemented. In addition, they should be given special allowances, the committee said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News