Brunei
The government is the main provider of formal schooling to children with disabilities NGO providers help with non-formal programmes for children with high-support needs, children with autism, and vocational training for older children with disabilities Early intervention services are also provided by the Child Development Centre of the Ministry of Health Some children may attend both NGO programmes and formal schooling Services are coordinated by the Special Education Unit, within the Ministry of Education
Samoa
In Samoa, NGOs are the main providers of education, with grants provided by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture The ministry has begun the establishment of Special Needs Units (SNU) within primary schools Currently there are six special needs units within national primary schools, six NGO special schools and a small number of private or religious schools Ninety seven per cent of primary schools have no provision for any type of support to children with special needs The NGO administered special schools are hoping that mainstreaming will increase in the future, are open to cooperation with mainstream schools and outplacement when appropriate The establishment of Special Needs Units in primary schools will eventually address needs for the majority of children with disabilities who are not in school These Units are not yet efficiently using teaching and other resources and some students still prefer the NGO schooling There is an NGO funded early intervention programme, started in 2004, operating on a community-based field-worker model, and there is an NGO outreach programme to blind and visually impaired children and adults Some private schools, with high fees, also exist and offer special educational services There is a Special Needs Coordinator within the ministry, and the Special Needs Education Advisory Committee is trying to play a coordinating role
Thailand
Historically, schooling for children with disabilities in Thailand was provided by NGOs and blind children were well catered for in a network of NGO-funded special schools Most other categories of children were largely excluded A system of government-funded special schools has grown over the past decades, to 43 in 2004 The main provider is the Ministry of Education through the Special Education Programmes in the Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) The policy is one of integration, moving towards
u Special Education Schools (of the 43 government schools, 20 are for the deaf, 19 for children with intellectual disability, two for children with physical handicaps and two for blind children);
u Special Education Centres which support the integration of children into regular schools;
u Regular integrated primary schools;
u Regular integrated secondary schools;
u Hospital schools
In 2004, there were 349 integrated schools By 2005 it is hoped there could be as many as 2000 Most provinces have at least one integrated school and many have two located in different towns While definitive numbers are not available, estimates by various informants, both ministry and non- governmental, suggest that the numbers of children with disabilities attending integrated schools is growing at an exceptional rate
Other education providers include the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the municipal system of local government, the private sector and NGOs NGOs run 12 special schools, seven for blind children, one for physically handicapped children and four for children with intellectual disabilities Some government funding is provided to these schools A non-formal system of education is run by NGOs and community groups, with funding support from government, but is not available to school-age children
Viet Nam
Children with disabilities in Viet Nam are primarily educated in a system of special schools throughout the country, approximately one per province, some run by the Ministry of Education and Training and some by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs This latter Ministry has not conceded all schools to the Ministry of Education in spite of formal transfer of the mandate for education in 1995 There has clearly been no enforcement of the mandate The inclusive education system has been in development, through international NGO projects, for over ten years now Recent advances in policy may allow for inclusion to become more widespread Viet Nam still depends on outside funding for a great deal of support in the area of education and has a strong primary education development programme with the World Bank The government may provide support through materials or staffing but less so financially There is not a common policy framework at present, though this could be put into place in the near future There is also no common database about students with disabilities
Communication is facilitated by the existence of the National Council on Disability Development (NCCD), to which all concerned ministries, NGOs and organizations of disabled people belong, but there is not yet a coordinated system to manage the range of activities which provide education for children with disabilities Some schools, both formal and non-formal, are run by provincial and district level authorities Local NGOs have only recently been allowed to form in Viet Nam and do not provide schools for children with disabilities in the same manner as in many other countries in the region
Recommendations for action by stakeholders
Providing education
Governments
Government should provide education for all categories of children with disabilities who should be able to attend any regular school, and be accepted in the regular school, no matter what disability they have Resources to support the level and degree of need of children with disabilities are necessary and include appropriately trained teachers, support teachers, assistive materials and devices
Government must provide a comprehensive and high quality teacher education programme to ensure that teachers at all levels have the commitment, skills and competencies to teach children with a diverse range of abilities This must include pre- and in-service training, short and long-term courses to develop appropriate skill levels in the shortest time possible to facilitate the transition to an inclusive education
Ministries must address the issue of educational provision for children with disabilities in remote and rural areas, where provision is currently most limited Policy and resources should promote the development of creative and diverse practices to meet the educational needs of children with disabilities to ensure that all children access education regardless of their individual, family or other circumstances The option of home schooling could be used for children with more severe disabilities as a transition measure During stages of transition from limited NGO provision to full government responsibility for the education of children with disabilities, education should be provided by both government and NGOs, with coordination of services under the Ministry of Education
Government should ensure well-planned and continuous services for children with disabilities from early intervention level through all levels of the school system, with resource support on a sustainable basis
Government should provide Early Intervention and family support services for young children with disabilities from birth (birth-six years) This support should be available for the family or other caretakers
Ministries and schools should seek to capitalize upon the input of parents and strengthen their capacity so that they can effectively collaborate in the formal and informal education of their children