Disabled Children Missing Out on School
Most disabled children in northern Tajikistan are not getting any schooling, Kamari Ahrorzoda reports.
Monday, 4 May, 2009
Disabled Children Missing Out on School
Most disabled children in northern Tajikistan are not getting any schooling, Kamari Ahrorzoda reports.
Monday, 4 May, 2009
But that figure suggests that most of the 5,000 disabled children in the region are outside the education system.
People interviewed in the street gave a number of reasons why such children are not in school – many are in rural areas where their parents are too poor to send them anywhere, and there is a general feeling that the children will be better cared for at home than in the special schools.
One mother recalled trying out a disabled children’s centre for her seven-year-old daughter. Returning after a few hours, she was disappointed to find that the child, who has mental disability, had been left sitting on her own and had not been fed.
The lack of appropriate care is a real problem for her, as she not only want to get her daughter into education and the company of other children, but she needs to have the time to go out and earn money for her upkeep.
Experts agree that Tajikistan is short of schools for disabled children, in particular specialised facilities for the deaf, those with learning difficulties and so on. They also agree on the reason – it is a poor country with a low average standard of living.
