Foreign Affairs Office of Guizhou Provincial People’s Government
Jan. 20 2009
Special Needs Education Program in Guizhou China
Health Action Overseas Ireland |
The staff members of HAO and Foreign Affairs Office of Guizhou Provincial People’s Government met with each other first time in Guiyang in 1997 with introduction to each other by Madam. Fan Huijuan, former Chinese ambassador to Ireland. They did the field studies of the possibilities of opening a Special Education program in Guizhou and had full discussions with the related departments. Afterwards the representatives from HAO and FAO signed an agreement, choosing Anshun Teacher College，the only one qualified to provide Special Needs teacher training in Guizhou, as the partner of HAO in China.
It is an in-service teacher training project providing training for teachers working with students with special needs education in this province. So far the number of teachers from local special needs schools trained with this project has been 2440. The successful implementation of the project has played a very active role in promotion of special needs education course in Guizhou. This program has been highly appreciated by the local authorities at different levels.
HAO has been very dynamic to promote Irish universities &colleges to send special needs teachers to work with Anshun Teacher College. Apart from summer training courses in Anshun Teacher College the volunteers on the program have also provided practical and financial support to the local Special Needs schools and orphanages with the provision of educational materials and resources and setting up educational and therapy programs.
Almost every year the staff members from HAO have made follow-up visits to the schools and orphanages. The activities of HAO in Guizhou have progressed from offering a Special Education program to be involved in bettering the lives of people with disability.
HAO already stared to help the local orphanages with the medical assessment of the children for further cooperation in advancing the lives of the children with disabilities as well as the local civil affairs department with professional and technical advices of building of a new orphanage.
HAO has also kept contacts with Chinese embassy to Dublin as well as Irish embassy to Beijing.
It has been more than 10 years since the collaboration started in 1997 in Guizhou. HAO has enjoyed sound and efficient partnership with Foreign Affairs Office, the provincial department of education, the department of civil affairs and Anshun Teacher College etc.
Foreign Affairs Office of Guizhou Provincial People’s Government would wish HAO would continue their further more support and material resources in the Special Needs program and improving the living standard of people with disability, and very much look forward to working together with HAO to progress this course in the near future.
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