Keywords: Support for Participation for People with Disabilities, Special Needs Education

Mongolia became a democracy in 1990, but prior to that, a period of socialism continued under the influence of the former Soviet Union, with importance placed on citizens contributing to society as the workforce. Within this system, people with disabilities were eligible for social protection, but little consideration was given to their right to attend local school or the right of self-determination as adults. However, since the ratification of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, efforts are being made in providing new support for needs.

With this as a background, Japan was requested to provide assistance for special needs education in Mongolia. However, since Japan has only conducted a few cooperation projects in this field, as well as in the field of social welfare, we conducted a survey to assess the current situation in Mongolia and to collect information on Japanese assistance resources.

We dispatched experts in social welfare, and through surveys with relevant ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labor, and Ministry of Population Development and Social Protection, as well as with NGOs, we summarized the current conditions and issues faced by public services in Mongolia. Legal systems, special education school facilities, and teacher capacity were all lacking, and time is needed to satisfy the conventions on the rights of children and the persons with disabilities, as well as to achieve the MDG of universal primary education. Based on the results of this survey, the directionality of future Japanese assistance in special education in Mongolia was also proposed.