Assessing Access to Education for Children with Disabilities in the DPRK

Abstract: When the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2016 it made a commitment to provide access to education for children with disabilities. Furthermore, DPRK domestic legislation guarantees free compulsory twelve-year education for all children, meaning withholding education from a child is illegal. Currently a network of eleven special (segregated) schools cater to deaf and blind children. Children with other disabilities are supposed to enroll in mainstream schools. We analyze DPRK state media news reports and other publications to assess access to education for children with disabilities in the DPRK. We find that the special school system is well developed but that children educated in special schools lack opportunities to interact with non-disabled children and have achieved worse academically than their mainstream peers. Accessing mainstream education is difficult for some children due to a lack of systematic support combined with cultural and structural barriers. Inclusive education is beginning to emerge but largely depends on the discretion of individual teachers and their willingness to perform additional labor to accommodate a child’s learning needs.