Educational authorities in China have designed special learning standards for disabled students in an effort to improve the teaching quality and conditions available to students with disabilities.

On Dec. 13, the Ministry of Education issued three guidelines for the standardization of education for the disabled. This is the first time that any such standards have been set in China. The ministry is already working on textbooks specially designed for schools for the blind, deaf and mentally disabled, which will be put into use in 2017.

The new standards cover 42 subjects, ranging from the primary-school level to the middle-school level. According to the Beijing Times, the learning standards are basically the same as those for non-disabled students in terms of content, but offer a special emphasis on helping disabled students to improve their quality of life, as well as to integrate into mainstream society.

Though the Chinese government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008, calling for inclusive education at all levels, disabled kids still face difficulties when it comes to mainstream education. According to a report from Caixin in September, two-thirds of Chinese parents said they would be concerned if mainstream schools allowed disabled children to study alongside non-disabled students.

“Bullying, discrimination and a lack of support facilities in mainstream schools have led to disabled children being shut out of mainstream education. Though inclusive education should be encouraged, special-needs schools and facilities should also be a priority to ensure disabled students’ rights to a decent education,” Zhang Yuan, a Beijing-based human rights activist, told People’s Daily Online.

“The establishment of new learning standards will improve education conditions for disabled kids, helping them to get a better education and learn necessary life skills,” Zhang added.

(Source: People's Daily )