Schools in Cambodia!
Non-Formal Education Program for Mainstreaming Disabled Children in Cambodia
Case Study
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| Teacher's Notes | Student Activities |
A large number of the people living in Cambodia do not have nearly enough money to live on and are forced to live very poorly. This means that they often cannot get the food they need or medicine and treatment when they are sick. Most children are expected to work and contribute to the family income as soon as they finish their schooling. Many families have to make choices about which of their children they can afford to send to school.
What happens when a family has a child who has a physical disability? For most families in Cambodia, having a child who has a disability creates great financial problems. Extra money for medical expenses, special equipment and transport just isn't available.
Many parents believe that these particular children will never earn a living and contribute to the upkeep of the family like their other children. Therefore sending them to school is seen as a waste of time and money.
Also some Cambodians hold a religious belief that a disability is a punishment. For them this means that a disabled child is shameful in their family. Quite often disabled children are kept at home to do nothing or sometimes abandoned as unwanted children on the streets to make their own way however they can manage.
The government in Cambodia estimates that there are about 32,000 - 36,000 disabled children in the country. In the past, polio has been one of the major diseases caught by children which has resulted in physical disabilities. Below is a summary of the causes of disability in children.
| Cause of Children's Disability in Cambodia | Percentage |
| Disease | 65% |
| Congenital (born with disability) | 27% |
| Domestic Accidents | 5% |
| Landmines | 2% |
Source: Cambodian Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor and Veterans
Because of their disabilities and lack of money, many of Cambodia's disabled children have not had a chance to attend school or had to drop out of school too early because of various problems. Without an education, it will be almost impossible for these children to ever get good jobs, earn money for themselves, be independent of their families and lead happy lives.
Australian Assistance
The Australian Government's overseas aid program, together with Marist Mission Centre and the Marist Brothers of Australia made a decision to try and change this situation for disabled children. In 1998, they established a special school for physically disabled children in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. The school is called Salla Lavalla.
The Children of Salla Lavalla
At the moment there are 44 physically disabled children attending Salla Lavalla. The youngest is about 10 years old and the eldest is 15 years old. Most of the children haven't had the chance to go to school or had to stop going to school because of a range of difficulties such as lack of money, no transport or the negative attitudes of others. Many of the children come from extremely poor families and about half of the students need to live at the school.
Many of the children are disabled because of polio. Some have mild cerebral palsy, others have had to have limbs amputated because they have stepped on landmines or were unable to get good medical treatment when it was needed. Some students have had to contend with a disability and great hardship. Below are the profiles of two students:
Min: Min Vet is aged 15 years old. He developed polio when he was a small child. The disease left him very disabled. His arms are wrapped almost completely behind his back and his legs are permanently entwined in a sitting position. Min's left foot is the only limb part he can move. He uses this foot with great skill and at Salla Lavalla does all his writing, drawing and mathematical calculations with it. His aim is to become an illustrator. Every day with pencil between his toes Min is creating new characters and simple stories.
Chet: Before coming to Salla Lavalla, Chet, aged 13 years had never been to a school. He has cerebral palsy. Chet is confined to a wheel chair and has difficulty talking. Before coming to Salla Lavalla he spent his life begging for money on the streets in a local market with his step-father. Although at his age, Chet should be in secondary school, he is only now just learning to read, write and count. He is doing the equivalent of Year One in Primary school.
Working Hard and Fast
For these special students, the schoolwork they undertake is very intensive. Most have missed out on a lot of schooling and the aim of the school is to catch up as quickly as they possibly can so they can get into regular schools. They aim to fit six years of primary schooling into one or two years. In order to achieve this, the students work very hard. The school day is two hours longer than regular government schools. The Lavalla students are even at school catching up on valuable missed time during normal school holidays.
Once the students complete the primary course, they are then able to sit for the entrance exams into secondary school or enter vocational training programs such as mechanical or woodwork courses. Once the students are able to get into a regular (mainstream) school or centre, they have the chance to obtain qualifications and skills to get a good job.
The Teachers are also Disabled
There are 16 staff at Salla Lavalla including teachers, tutors, drivers, cooks and guards. The five class teachers at the school are all physically disabled themselves. These teachers have been especially hired and trained because they personally understand the needs of physically disabled children. Also seeing their disabled teacher working is a constant example for the students that it is possible to be very successful despite having a disability. A large part of the Australian government's funding for the school supports the employment and training of these teachers.
Salla Lavalla is an Example Others Can Follow
One of the important aims of the Salla Lavalla project is that helping these students be successful will encourage other organisations and especially the Cambodian Ministry of Education to copy this model of schooling for physically disabled children in other parts of Cambodia. It is hoped that Salla Lavalla will provide a successful example for others to follow.
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