Published on Mar 29, 2005

Via sign language, the chairwoman of the Council of Disabled People of Thailand, Panomwan Boontem, said disabled children have to fight hard for the opportunity to receive an education.

That message was brought home yesterday, when people massed outside the Education Ministry to protest the lack of care and opportunities for people with disabilities.

A petition handed to Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik requested that the government guarantee educational opportunities for disabled people.

The move allegedly followed a decision by Samsen Wittayalai School

not to enrol blind students this academic year, based on the argument that disabled children would enjoy their studies more if they could attend classes without their able-bodied peers.

"Most schools reject children with disabilities," Panomwan said, adding that the parents of disabled children had to struggle hard to find schools that would accept their children, because most schools lack understanding when it came to providing educational services for children with disabilities.

"Some schools also lack the right attitude towards disabled children," Panomwan said.

She said the Education Ministry should develop a system to accommodate the needs of disabled children and provide them with educational support.

Council board member Torpong Kulkhanchit said only 170,000 of more than five million disabled people had been offered the opportunity to study, referring to a survey by the National Economic and Social Development Board.

He said his group would meet executives of Samsen Wittayalai School today, because the school was looking to enrol disabled children.

Sunai Chulapongsathorn, one of Adisai's secretaries said the minister would later meet them to address the issue.