Distinguished experts and scholars,
My name is Zhou Lulu. My hometown is Yunnan Province, a province in southwest China. There are 25 ethnic minorities in Yunnan, accounting for 45% of China's ethnic minorities. Yunnan has the most diverse ethnic minorities in China. I grew up in an integrated family environment. Thanks to China's remarkable improvement in the guarantee of fair and high-quality right to education, I was admitted to one of China's best law schools at the age of 18. I came out from the depths of the mountains on the Red Soil Plateau to enjoy first-class higher education resources in Beijing. After graduating from university, I had the privilege of studying in Germany for five years. Then I returned to China to work, get married and have children. As a member of a human rights research institution, my research mainly focuses on the rights of the disabled.
The right to education is an important part of the human rights of minorities, and one of the basic rights of disabled minorities, which is the key to their self-worth and social integration. Education not only provides disabled minorities with knowledge and skills, but also cultivates their ability to live independently, socialize and participate in society, enabling them to better integrate into society and realize their self-worth. In addition, ensuring the right to education of disabled minorities helps to eliminate social discrimination and prejudice. Finally, the right to education of disabled minorities is also a manifestation of social fairness and justice, which is of great significance to promoting social progress and development.
Xizang has made remarkable achievements in safeguarding the right to education of persons with disabilities. Educational resources for persons with disabilities in Xizang cover inclusive education, home-based education, vocational education and skills training, assistive devices and barrier-free facilities, and policy and financial support, with emphasis on rehabilitation training, social integration and family education. In the past five years, Xizang has promoted the inclusive development of education for persons with disabilities, with 3,205 disabled children and adolescents attending regular classes, 2,604 receiving home-based education, and the enrollment rate of compulsory education remaining above 97 percent, basically achieving "zero denial" of compulsory education for disabled children and adolescents. Xizang has built seven schools for integrated education for persons with disabilities, with 1,057 students, each of whom enjoys 6,000 yuan of "three guarantees" and public funds annually. Xizang has developed art education for persons with disabilities, and sent a delegation to the 10th National Art Exhibition for Persons with Disabilities, where it won outstanding achievements. The "Five Ones" project of bringing culture to disabled families has benefited 3,000 disabled families, and encouraged disabled people to go out of their homes and integrate into society.
In recent years, Xizang's schools for integrated education for persons with disabilities have achieved some remarkable successes:
1.Sitabaizong is a deaf-mute student from the Integrated Education School in Nachu. She has received dance training at the school and shown excellent talent in dancing. She participated in a performance organized by the Xizang Autonomous Region for disabled students and won wide acclaim. Her success has encouraged other disabled students to take an active part in various activities and show their value.
2.For severely disabled children and adolescents who cannot attend school, Xizang provides door-to-door education services. Professional teachers visit them regularly to ensure they receive appropriate education. Xizang lays emphasis on personalized teaching and door-to-door education to ensure that disabled students receive appropriate education and better integrate into society.
In recent years, Xinjiang has also made remarkable achievements in protecting the right to education of persons with disabilities. By the end of 2020, the total number of school-age disabled children and teenagers in Xinjiang was 27,337, and the enrollment rate of school-age disabled children and teenagers in compulsory education reached 98.5 percent. Xinjiang has established an education system for persons with disabilities from preschool to higher education, providing comprehensive education services for them. By 2021, there were 75 schools for integrated education of persons with disabilities, with 31,900 disabled students, an increase of 73.2 percent over 2012. Xinjiang has also implemented a policy of free compulsory education for disabled students, waiving tuition and miscellaneous fees for disabled students receiving compulsory education, and providing textbooks and grants. By 2021, 38,300 disabled students in Xinjiang had benefited from this policy. The distinctive feature of disabled education in Xinjiang is the "people-oriented" educational concept, emphasizing respect for the individual differences and needs of disabled students, which runs through the entire educational process to ensure that disabled students can receive education suitable for them. Xinjiang has diversified education modes for disabled students, including integrated education, door-to-door education and distance education. Xinjiang attaches great importance to the investment and allocation of educational resources for disabled people. Integrated education schools are equipped with professional teaching teams and assistive devices to support the learning and development of disabled students. Xinjiang also promotes the compilation and revision of inclusive education textbooks to meet the learning needs of disabled students.
In Xinjiang, there is an inclusive education school called "Sunshine Home".The school provides disabled children with comprehensive education services, including basic education, vocational skills training and psychological counseling.
The inclusive education school in Kashgar implements the "one person, one case" education mode, which means making personalized education plans for each disabled student according to their specific conditions.
The inclusive education school in Urumqi uses Internet technology to carry out the "Internet + inclusive education" project.Through online teaching and remote tutoring, the project provides disabled students with more flexible and diversified learning methods.
The Urumqi Blind School is a school in Xinjiang that specializes in providing education for blind students.The school offers a variety of courses, including Braille reading, directional walking and life skills, to help blind students better adapt to social life.
The No.9 Middle School in Changji has built an inclusive education resource classroom for mildly disabled students attending regular classes. The classroom is equipped with teaching tools that help physical rehabilitation and intellectual development, such as grippers, pointing machines and graphic cognitive boards. Students go there for rehabilitation training every week. This mode of education ensures that school-age children and adolescents with disabilities can go to school and learn well, and promotes educational equity.
In 2024, Xinjiang will invest 43.96 million yuan to provide assistance to 2,400 children with visual, hearing, speech, physical, mental and autism disabilities in basic rehabilitation training, surgery and adaptation of assistive devices.
The joint efforts and strong support of the governments of Xinjiang and Xizang and all sectors of society provide a solid guarantee for the realization of the right to education of persons with disabilities. In the development of the right to education of disabled minority people, we cannot stop the pace of progress, but should continue to work hard to provide better educational opportunities for more disabled people. In this context, the support and cooperation of the international community is particularly important. We hope to exchange experience and share achievements with other countries, and jointly promote the progress and development of the education of disabled minority people around the world. Thank you!
