Our partners at the LaValla School in Cambodia have provided enrolment figures for the current school year, which runs from October 2015 to September 2016.
Of the 35 students starting Grade One this year, 11 are aged 14 years or older. There are two students aged 18, and one student aged 19.
The LaValla School caters for students with disabilities from grades one through to six. There are currently 102 students enrolled, including 67 males and 35 females. 97 students are from remote rural areas and need to live on-site at the school.
LaValla is the only government-approved school in Cambodia to offer these students equal access to primary education.
More than three quarters of students enrolled at LaValla choose to participate in accelerated learning programs, which enable them to graduate from primary school in three years instead of six.
Once enrolled at LaValla, students undergo medical assessments and personalised rehabilitation plans are developed to improve students’ disability-related health.
Health plans may include physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, or the provision of any assistive devices that might be required, like prosthetics, splints, wheelchairs, or walking frames. In some cases, students may be offered surgery to improve long-term physical health outcomes.
Students complete curriculum set by the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Curriculum subjects include English, computers, art, physical education, and traditional Khmer music. Students are also taught basic vocational skills, like sewing and small-scale farming. This is especially important for older children who are of working age.
Without the opportunity to attend LaValla, students with disabilities would either not attend school or drop out early because of social stigma, discrimination, and a lack of accessibility.
Almost half of all Cambodian students with a disability are illiterate, compared to less than 10 percent for the country’s so-called able-bodied students.
Without education, students are socially isolated and trapped in a cycle of extreme poverty.
The Marists established the LaValla School in 1998 to respond to the specific needs of disabled students.
Click here to find out more about how you can support the Marists to continue providing students at the LaValla School equal opportunities to access education.