Special needs education spending surges in China

BEIJING - Subsidies worth 410 million yuan (66.4 million US dollars) will be available for special needs education this year, about 650 percent more than in 2013, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced Wednesday.

The money will be used to build classrooms, update teaching equipment and provide medical services for special needs schools and ordinary schools that have enrolled disabled students, both at the stage of nine-year compulsory education.

Last year, total subsidies were worth 55 million yuan.

Subsidies for each student in special needs schools should be 4,000 yuan this year and rise to 6,000 yuan by the end of 2016, according to the ministry.

The MOE also encourages local education authorities to promote free education for disabled high school students.

Total spending on special needs education reached 9.2 billion yuan in 2013, from 1.7 billion yuan a decade ago, said an official with the finance department of the MOE.

A proper special needs education system is of great significance to equality of disabled people, said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a national conference on special needs education in January.