INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN CAMBODIA:
PRACTICES AND INITIATIVES;
2nd Annual Forum of SEAMEO Member countries
and Associate Member; Danang City, Viet Nam, 18-20 October, 2011
Mr. Un Siren,
Vice Chief of Special Education Office (SEO),
Primary Education Department (PED)
Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MoEYS)
Kingdom of Cambodia
Outline
I-International and
National Standards and
Policy Framework
II-Ministry Initiative and
Provisions
III-Best Practices
IV-Challenges
V-Future Directions
VI-Conclusion
I-International and National Standards
and Policy Framework
International context:
Royal Government of Cambodia is signatory to
and has expressed support for:
•
•
2008 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
2006 Bangkok Statement on Achieving Rightsbased
•
•
2003 Biwako Millennium Framework for Action
1994 Salamanca Statement on Special Needs
Education
 Education for All by 2015

In Cambodia includes all traditionally excluded
and vulnerable groups, such as girls, poor
children, children from ethnic and linguistic
minorities, children with disabilities, children
living in remote areas, and orphaned, sick or
trafficked children etc.
National Policy Framework:
 Constitution
 Education
Law, 2007
 Law on the Protection and the Promotion
of Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2009
 National Policy and Master Plan on
Education for Children with Disabilities,
2008/2009
 National Plan of Action for Persons with
Disabilities, including Landmine Survivors
2009
Education Law
 Article 39 (Rights of disabled learners) states that
disable learners have the same rights as able
learners and have separate special rights:
 Disabled learners of either sex have the right to
study with able learners if there is sufficient
facilitation in the study process
 Disabled learners who are not able to learn with
able learners, even with facilitation, have
separate special classes at community schools in
their locality.
Law on the Protection and Promotion of
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
 Ministry of Education should
encourage disabled students to
be in regular education
classrooms and integrated
classrooms (Article 28) and
students with appropriate
supports (Article 29)
II-Ministry Initiative and Provisions
• CFS Policy was approved in March, 2007
• School Mapping Policy was approved in 2007
• Policy was approved in March, 2008
• Master Plan was approved in September, 2009
-National Policy on Education of CWD,
2008
 Increase awareness and acceptance of
disabilities among communities, relevant
institutions and stakeholders
 Provide early identification and intervention
to all children with disabilities from birth to
five years
 Provide quality education, life skills for
disabilities equitably and effectively
 Increase enrollment, promotion and survival
rates in schools
-National Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities,
including Landmine Survivors 2009 (NPA)
NPA for PWDs, Landmine
Survivors was approved in 2009
(Part 4: Psychological support and social
reintegration)
 Raising communities awareness of
disabilities
 Improving access for CWDs in schools
 Teachers/trainers training on Inclusive
Education
 Inclusive educational services for deaf
and blind
 Increase the uptake of sport by PWDs
Provision: Integrated
Classrooms
Extent of Inclusive in Schools
Special Education Services
 Limited
educational
services for
children with
disabilities began
in mid-1990s as
special schools
 All run by NGOs
Rabbit School
III-Best Practices
 Focus on integrated and inclusive classes
instead of special schools through teachers
training
 Awareness-raising and dissemination of
information on inclusive education for children
with disabilities
 Media campaigns on disability awareness raising
and prevention: brochures, TV, radio spots and
P
posters
 Prevalence study for identification and referral of
out of school children, including children with
disabilities.
 Determine prevalence of out of school children,
including CWDs
 Develop systematic process of data collection in
EMIS for planning purposes
Focus on Inclusive and Integrated Classes
through Teacher Training
 Training teachers on basic IE
 Developing specialized curriculum with NGOs
IV-Challenges
 Critical
shortage of teachers in regular
education affects availability of qualified
teachers trained in inclusive education or in
specialized courses
 Limited financial resources: Some schools
either have no ramps or accessible toilets or
the ramps are not built to universal design
specifications.
V-Future Directions
 Specialized
courses
 Systematic
identification and
referral of CWD
 Awareness-Raising
and Attitude
Change
VI-Conclusion
Some constraint:
 Families cooperation
 Shortage of resources
 High number of PWDs
Ministry strategies:
 IE program
 Reaching the un-reached
 Collaboration
Inclusive Education in Cambodia:
Practices and Initiatives