Project News

The activities of Mini Projects^[1] (first batch) were completed at the end of May 2017. Among three Mini Projects, we would like to draw attention to the project entitled "We can learn; Inclusion of Children with Disabilities (CWDs) in Non Formal Life Long Education Center" implemented by Non-Formal Life Long Education Center in Orkhon Aimag.

The project aim is to provide non-formal educational program center-based and also through home visits to CWDs who do not or cannot attend regular school or regular classes.

In Mongolia, there is Non-Formal Education system and public Non-Formal Life Long Education Center/Classes were established all over the country. Youths and Adults who drop out from school can go to the center and acquire a certificate which is equivalent to finishing primary (5^th grade), or lower secondary (9^th grade) or upper secondary (12^th grade).

Although there are CWDs at the Center of Orkhon Aimag, the center attempted to attract more CWDs by conducting this Mini Project. The Center conducted household survey in the periphery area and promoted CWDs to come to the Center. They also started to provide individual class through home visit for children who have difficulties to come to the center.

One example is Ms. Selenge, who is 23 years old and uses a wheelchair due to Cerebral Palsy. No schools welcomed her when she was young and she used to go to developmental center run by NGO and Parent's Association. She transferred to Non-Formal Life Long Education Center of Orkhon Aimag and continued her study there after the commencement of Mini Project. In May 2017, she passed the examination of lower secondary graduation and she is going to take Computer class at vocational school from September 2017. Developmental centers can provide learning support but they can't provide qualification as they are not an official institution certified by the government. But Ms. Selenge could get the official qualification and go to upper institution under the project. Ms. Selenge's next target is to start working. Ms. Selenge told us with a hopeful face: "We can learn in the same way as others. We can live a life in the same way as others. We go out and participate social activities and we want to let more people know these things."

In addition to Ms. Selenge, three other students could get qualification of lower secondary and one student could get qualification of upper secondary.

Ms. Selenge wrote many poems for her mother with the titled "Milk Tea made by Poems". One of the local publishers supported her to make a printed book of them. She wrote it as appreciation to her mother that she can't help her mother due to her disability but her mother always takes care of her. The photo above is the cover of her poetry book.

Students of the Center went to local museum and learnt histories of Aimag. The lady sitting in middle of the front row is Ms. Selenge.

Class at the Center