China is looking to improve special education as more than 80,000 disabled children lack access to schooling.

The Ministry of Education released the figure in an evaluation report of the national mid- and long-term educational reform and development guidelines (2010-2020) as it works to help disabled people integrate into society.

Special education in China is far from enough. Nearly 600 counties with populations below 300,000 in remote and ethnic minority areas do not have any schools providing special education. Compounding the problem, the number of disabled students joining classes in regular schools is shrinking, preventing social integration.


EQUAL RIGHTS

In some parts of China, special education schools have been changed to regular schools by local educational departments, who say the number of disabled students is too small and schools for regular education are inadequate.

The report said a shift of attitude is required by some local governments who do not attach great importance to special education, considering it tantamount to philanthropy instead of valuing the inherent rights of disabled children.

Prof. Xiao Fei of Beijing Normal University said legislation should be accelerated in order to promote the development of special education.

The level of special education has become a reflection of social progress, human rights as well as social values such as equality and justice, Xiao said.

Cheng Kai, vice president of China Disabled Persons' Federation, said the development of special education in China lags far behind regular education.

All disabled people should receive high-quality education catered to their needs, which is an important part of social harmony, Cheng said.

During the next five years, special education should be extended to more disabled students, either going to special schools, regular schools or being taught by teachers at home, said Zheng Fuzhi, an official with the education ministry, adding that special education tasks will be allocated to each school.


INADEQUATE TEACHING FORCE

Most special education schools in China do not meet the national requirement one teacher to three students, said Yu Wen, principal of Special Education School in Beijing's Haidian District.

Teachers have to face children with many kinds of disabilities, which complicates their teaching, said Prof. Deng Meng of the Beijing Normal University.

China has about 2.46 million disabled children aged between six and 14. However, the number of teachers specializing in education for the disabled was only 48,125 last year.

Low social status and poor pay have exacerbated the shortage of teachers, with fewer college students majoring in special education.

What is worse, allowances for these teachers have not been changed in 59 years.

Deng said China should learn from the experience of developed nations, which requires all teachers master special education knowledge, adding that Hong Kong asks 10 percent of its teachers to learn special education.


SOCIAL INTEGRATION

Shangxiejie Primary School in Beijing's Xicheng District is among the first batch of Chinese schools to receive disabled children. It currently has 16 students with hearing impairment, mental disabilities or autism. It has another 25 students with physical disabilities.

"Individual plans have been drawn on each student with special requirements," said the headmaster Han Jianli.

Since the end of 1980s, learning with peers in regular classes has played an important role in spreading special education. However, the benefits have not been fully recognized by society.

In 2012, parents at a primary school in the southern city of Shenzhen signed a petition asking an autistic student to leave the school, causing controversy.

"Some autistic children cannot follow the teaching in a regular class, putting more pressure on teachers," said Yu Wen, the principal of a Beijing special education school.

He said teachers are often puzzled when faced with students experiencing screaming fits or showing aggressive behavior.

Experts suggest local special education centers provide support to special students in regular classes in order to achieve educational, social and psychological integration.

According to the education ministry's plan, regular schools will have special facilities to assist the study and life of disabled students; regular schools will be provided with more special funds dedicated to services for disabled students; disabled students will have "duo student registrations" on both regular and special schools so as to integrate with their ordinary peers.