State-run kindergartens in Beijing to increase enrollment of disabled children

The fourth special education meeting of Beijing was held on the morning of November 4. In 2010, Beijing will increase investment in special education to carry out pilot work involving disabled children studying in regular kindergarten classes, and to increase the enrollment of disabled children in state-run kindergartens.

There are almost 10,000 disabled children and teenagers in Beijing, including over 8,000 primary and middle school students and more than 700 students in higher learning institutions. The growth of these children and teenagers has attracted attention in society.

In 2010, Beijing will increase investment in special education, and rebuild and expand special education schools to realize the goal of each remote district or country having at least one state-run special education boarding school. Beijing will also moderately expand the accommodation scale of existing special education boarding schools. In 2010, Beijing will actively support various types of pre-school education institutions, communities and families to carry out early health education on disabled children under three years old.

From 2010, schools for mentally handicapped children in Beijing will issue a formal diploma to each student who has completed the nine-year compulsory education. The certificate outlining all courses attended, which has been used for many years, will be abandoned.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Education and the Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation will adopt a "delivering education to homes" mode to help children and teenagers suffering from autism, cerebral palsy or multiple deformities enjoy the right to receive compulsory education, and establish their student status. The two institutions will set up additional vocational classes in regular secondary vocational schools and special education schools, and encourage higher learning institutions with qualified conditions to launch a special education major. Ordinary higher learning institutions should enroll students with special needs according to policies.

Moreover, efforts will be made to realize the goal of arranging one resource teacher in each class of the nearly 1,000 Beijing schools that allow disabled students to study in regular classes by 2015. These teachers will provide professional support to these schools.

Translated by LOTO