Schools in Cambodia!

Non-Formal Education Program for Mainstreaming Disabled Children in Cambodia

Case Study

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Daily life for the majority of people living in Cambodia is hard work. Decades of armed conflict, the on-going tragedy of millions of landmines throughout the country, the impact of widespread poverty and lack of access to basic services such as health and education see many people struggling for their livelihood each day. Life is even more difficult for a Cambodian if they are also disabled.

According to a recent United Nations demographic survey, it is estimated that 2-3% of Cambodia's 10.7 million people are disabled, making the rate of disability per capita, one of the highest in the world. The number of disabled children (0 - 18 years) in the population has been estimated by the Cambodian Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor and Veterans to be approximately 32,000 - 36,000.

Poverty and access to essential health services are directly linked to the causes of disability as well as the result of having a disability. Sixty-five per cent of disabilities amongst Cambodian children are the result of disease. Unfortunately, the legacy of Polio, a preventable disease through immunisation has continued to be the major cause of disease-related disability in such children. Hopefully, this disease will no longer be the major cause of disability as the Eradication of Polio Initiative in 1994 has dramatically reduced the occurrence of Polio.

The Consequences of Disability for Children

Employment prospects for a disabled child are particularly grim in Cambodia. They are mostly seen as people with little, if any, potential to contribute to their family and society through productive work. There is also a stigma attached to disability with a belief by some in Cambodian society that a disability is a punishment for wrong-doings committed in a previous life.

For families who are struggling to meet their daily basic needs, a disabled child is considered a heavy economic and social burden. Therefore few opportunities such as attendance at school are open to them compared with non-disabled children. Schooling for such children is often considered a waste of time and valuable resources.

Consequently disabled children are marginalised and generally condemned to a life of poverty. Mostly they are left to be dependent on their parents, if the parents can afford such dependency. Otherwise they are abandoned to fend for themselves through begging and other street activities. The overall impact on disabled children is that they begin to view themselves as sub-standard with little to offer others.

Giving Disabled Children a Fair Start

In response to this situation, a new and exciting venture to give educational opportunities to physically disabled children in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh began in 1998. Through a partnership between AusAID, the Agency that manages the Australian Government's overseas aid program, the Marist Mission Centre and the Marist Brothers of Australia, a special school for physically disabled children has been established. The school, called Salla Lavalla is giving genuine prospects for productive lives to some of Cambodia's disabled children.

The Salla Lavalla Students

Currently there are 44 disabled children at Salla Lavalla with ages ranging from about 10 - 15 years old. Most have had no access to education. Half of the students also need to live at the school.

Many of the children come from extremely poor backgrounds. Their disabilities are mostly the result of polio. There are some with mild cerebral palsy, others are amputees - the victims of landmines or inadequate medicine; others became disabled as a result of poorly managed fractures.

Some students have had to contend with a disability and extreme hardship. One of these is Vey, an orphan, whose disability allows him only the use of the toes on one foot for writing and eating etc. Sarat, another student, spent two years in hospital recovering from injuries after the train on which he was travelling was bombed. Thirteen-year-old Chet has cerebral palsy and was a street beggar before coming to Salla Lavalla.

A Fast Track Curriculum

For these special students, the school curriculum and programs have been designed to fit six years of primary schooling into one or two years. In order to achieve this, the students work incredibly hard. The school day is two hours longer than regular government schools and while others are on holidays for two months, the Lavalla students are still at school catching up on valuable missed time.

Once the students complete the primary course, they are then eligible to sit for the competitive entrance exams into secondary school which, it is hoped, they then attend as mainstream students or enter vocational training programs.

The Staff as Role Models

There are 16 staff at the school ranging from teachers, tutors, drivers, cooks and guards. Six of the staff, including the five class teachers are all physically disabled themselves. These staff have been especially recruited as positive role models for the students. A substantial part of AusAID funding supports the employment and development of these staff.

Part of the on-going development of the project is the support planned for students once they leave Salla Lavalla and enter regular schools or training centers. It is intended that this will involve training of teachers in mainstream schools, the provision of learning aids and advice regarding facility modifications.

A Model for Replication

The education the students receive at Salla Lavalla essentially aims to break the cycle of poverty for them. By equipping them with basic knowledge and skills, especially literacy and numeracy skills, the students are then in a position to attain access into mainstream education and the prospect of productive employment.

One of the significant aspects of the Salla Lavalla project is a commitment to encourage other organisations and especially the Cambodian Ministry of Education to replicate or copy this model of schooling for physically disabled children in other parts of Cambodia. Salla Lavalla will be used as a successful example for others to follow.