Supporting Special Needs Education

June 22, 2012

USAID Mission Director Francis Donovan joins local teachers as they practice what they learned during U.S.-funded intensive training courses.

More than 250 teachers in Kon Tum province have completed an intensive teacher training program with a strong focus on the special needs of disabled and ethnic minority students as part of a three-year, USAID-funded project to improve education in the Central Highlands. "This has been a joint effort with the provincial government and people of Kon Tum to help improve education and care for disadvantaged children in Vietnam, especially those with disabilities," said USAID Mission Director Francis Donovan. "We understand that local authorities have agreed to continue to support early childhood education, extend the good work accomplished under this project and sustain its development. And we wish them much success."

As a part of the $4.2 million project, 25 refurbished preschools complete with age-appropriate furnishings, materials and sanitary bathrooms and kitchens have also been built and handed over to local education authorities and parents throughout Kon Tum. The kindergartens serve over 1,800 children between the ages of 3 and 5. To date, over 1,000 women in 25 communes of Kon Tum have been equipped with early childhood care and development knowledge and skills under the project, which has also provided income-generating assistance for families to enable them to earn enough money to keep their children in school. USAID has collaborated with local partners to support education in Kon Tum Province since 2008.