Kyrgyz special-needs kids get learning aid

MANILA, Philippines, July 19 (UPI) -- Kyrgyzstan will be getting financial aid to educate children with special needs.

The Asian Development Bank said Thursday it will provide $1 million to assist the government's program to help children with learning issues, particularly those from poorer families.

"Very few children with special needs actually receive education or training, and most of them remain outside the system of mainstream education," said Asel Chyngysheva, senior project implementation officer of the ADB's Kyrgyz resident mission.

The Manila-based agency said that there were officially about 17,100 children with disabilities under the age of 18 in 2004, but pointed out that it believes the actual number to be higher. Of those who were registered with the government, only about one-fifth were enrolled at specialized institutions, while about 2,650 went to mainstream schools but faced learning difficulties there.