G. Education, leisure and cultural activities
41. While the Committee appreciates the Special Needs Education (SNE) policy
framework for the education of children with disabilities, it has earnest concern
about children with disabilities and their access to education. The Committee
urges the State Party to ensure access to education for children with disabilities
and to realize inclusive education. In order to achieve inclusive education, the
government needs to train teachers in special needs education, provide and
improve basic infrastructure suitable to children with disabilities and prepare
teaching materials which can be utilized by children with disabilities.
42. The Committee commends the State party for providing free primary education
and the budget allocated to the education sector. The Committee has concerns
though about the 1.5 million children who are not in school despite the
opportunity provided by the government. The Committee thus calls on the State
Party to bring children to school by addressing the causes of their nonattendance. The State Party needs to adopt a non-discriminatory and inclusive
approach which enables children not registered, stateless children and
abandoned children to have effective access to education. The education system
should further accommodate girls who get pregnant while they are in school.
43. The Committee also has concern about the quality of education, the high
teacher-pupil ratio which affects the quality of education; and the high disparity of
quality of education between private and public schools. The Committee
therefore calls the State Party to improve the quality of education, especially in
public schools, taking into account the desired learning outcomes. The
Committee suggests that a code of conduct for teachers be adopted to ensure
non-absenteeism, high ethics and professionalism and recommends an intensive
teachers training and recruitment. The Committee further recommends close
monitoring of private education, as well as an ongoing assessment of the impact
of privatization. Minimum standards should be set for all education institutions.
The government should also monitor pre-schooling so that it is not solely left to
the private sector.
44. The Committee appreciates the talent academies and the different clubs which
exist in schools to provide children with opportunities for leisure and play. The
Committee further encourages the State Party to provide children with the time
and materials for play, to give due consideration to children with disabilities, and
monitor schools and their environment.
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