New technology and international cooperation can provide better access to education for children with learning disabilities in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, a conference was told on Thursday.
Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Yuthavong said the use of technology could increase the learning potential of special needs children, adding that the government plans to provide such assistance after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha vowed to overhaul education quality.
Mr Yongyuth made the comments at the 1st International Conference on Special Education, held in Bangkok from Tuesday to Thursday, under the theme "Innovation to Enhance Learning Initiatives and Practices".
"New technologies will be introduced for students. For example, visual display technology with spoken words will help deaf students gain access to better learning opportunities," he said.
Education Minister Narong Pipatanasai said disabled students' needs have been ignored for too long.
"People with disabilities tend to be neglected and lack opportunities for several fundamental rights they should have received," Adm Narong said.
Education for children with special needs was just as important as education for children without disabilities, he added.
Pikul Thammalungka, a teacher of students with disabilities at Anuban Chiang Rai School in Chiang Rai Muang district, said while the livelihood of children with special needs is improving, some challenges remain to be solved — both inside and outside the classroom.
"It is true that sometimes students without disabilities make fun of the special needs kids in class. I cannot stop that from happening, but I can teach them. I can make them understand that people can be different and there is nothing wrong with that," Ms Pikul told the Bangkok Post.
"I always explain to my students that friends must give a helping hand to friends, regardless of their physical or mental abilities."
However, some children with special needs who complete Pathom (primary school) classes cannot proceed to higher levels, due to their limited ability, Ms Pikul said. They have to go to special needs schools and their parents have to shoulder the cost.
More than one billion people, or about 15% of the world's population have some form of disability, according to the World Report on Disability, jointly conducted by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank.
Gatot Hari Priowirjanto, director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation Secretariat, said the conference aimed to raise awareness of the challenges faced by children with special needs in the classroom.
"We are speaking to other Asean countries about building platforms for educational service delivery for children with limited access to learning opportunities," Mr Priowirjanto said.
"We are building a network across the region and beyond," he said, adding that international cooperation would help dissolve barriers that previously resulted in these students being excluded from education.