Vietnam: What is inclusive education? What are the goals of inclusive education for people with disabilities?

What is inclusive education? What are the goals of inclusive education for people with disabilities?

According to Article 15 of the Education Law 2019 of Vietnam, the regulations are as follows:

Inclusive education

1. Inclusive education is an educational method aiming to meet different needs and abilities of learners; ensure equal learning rights, education quality, suitable with the needs, characteristics and capacity of learners; respect diversity and differences of learners and avoid discrimination.

2. The State shall issue assistance policies to implement inclusive education for learners who are children with special backgrounds as prescribed in the Children Law, learners who are disabled and handicapped persons as prescribed in the Law on Persons with Disabilities and other relevant regulations.

According to Clause 2, Article 2 of Circular 03/2018/TT-BGDDT of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam, the regulations are as follows:

Definition

For the purpose of this document, the terms below shall be construed as follows:

1. “person with disabilities” means a person who is impaired in one or more body parts or suffers from function decline manifested in the form of disability which causes difficulties in his/her work, daily life and study.

2. “inclusive education for persons with disabilities” means a mode of education integrating persons with disabilities with persons without disabilities in education institutions.

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Inclusive education is an educational method that ensures equal learning opportunities, educational quality, suitable for the needs, characteristics, and abilities of learners; respecting the diversity and differences of learners and without discrimination; inclusive education aims to meet the different needs and abilities of learners.

Specifically, inclusive education for persons with disabilities is an educational method carried out in educational facilities that combine people with disabilities and people without disabilities.

Additionally, the goals of inclusive education for persons with disabilities are stipulated in Article 3 of Circular 03/2018/TT-BGDDT as follows:

- Make sure persons with disabilities could develop their abilities, integrate into the community and get more opportunities for community contribution

- Ensure rights to fair and decent education in consistent with characteristics and abilities of persons with disabilities

What is inclusive education? What are the goals of inclusive education for people with disabilities? (Image from the Internet)

What are the duties and rights of education institutions providing inclusive education?

According to Article 5 of Circular 03/2018/TT-BGDDT, duties and rights of education institutions providing inclusive education are as follows:

1. Detect, call for and admit persons with disabilities to their education programs

2. Arrange and allocate classes suitable for persons with disabilities, and make sure each inclusive class has no more than 2 persons with disabilities. For special cases, the head of the education institution shall arrange and allocate more persons with disabilities in one class to satisfy education demand of persons with disabilities according to the reality.

3. Prepare and implement the plan for early intervention and inclusive education, and give vocation advice and orientation suitable for demands and abilities of persons with disabilities.

4. Create an integrative and friendly learning environment, ensure respect for persons with disabilities and that could they give a hand or cooperate and equally participate in all educational activities.

5. Cooperate with families, community, inclusive education development support centers and special education institutions in providing inclusive education.

6. Assist in performing early intervention and development of basically integrative skills for persons with disabilities.

7. Provide information on education provided for persons with disabilities enrolling in inclusive classes in education institutions for the council for determination of disability rate in communes, wards or towns (hereinafter referred to as “disability rate in communes”)

8. Develop professional abilities of educational administrators, teachers, lecturers and staff performing inclusive education task.

9. Call for inclusive education supporting staff and use funding from state budget provided for performance of inclusive education task in accordance with laws of the state.

What is the inclusive classrooms and inclusive education supporting activities in education institutions

According to Article 6 of Circular 03/2018/TT-BGDDT, the inclusive classrooms and inclusive education supporting activities in education institutions is as follows:

- Education institutions shall arrange inclusive classrooms to perform inclusive supporting activities for persons with disabilities according to conditions of education institutions and supporting demand of persons with disabilities receiving inclusive education.

- Inclusive classrooms shall be equipped with special teaching equipment, materials and instruments for determination of self-actualization of persons with disabilities for the purpose of organizing activities for development of abilities of those persons with disabilities.

- Inclusive education supporting activities include:

+ Assistance in improving knowledge and special skills necessary for inclusive education of persons with disabilities

+ Advice on inclusive education methods and skills given to teachers and disability education supporting staff and families of persons with disabilities

+ Advice about inclusive education service and vocational orientation given to persons with disabilities

- Education institutions shall cooperate with inclusive education development support centers, organizations and individuals in performing supporting activities for persons with disabilities in inclusive classrooms in an efficient manner.