Volunteers perform sign language on Saturday in Beijing. More than 380 volunteers from the city's universities have joined a program to teach disabled children at home. [Xinhua]

In a program supported by the Beijing Foundation for Disabled Persons (BFDP), 164 of Beijing's disabled children are currently being provided a home-school education. Targeting children with severe mental and physical disabilities, blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy and autism, 381 college students volunteered over the weekend to implement the new program.

"The home-school education program that started Friday was mainly for those disabled children aged between 7 to 15 who have not received education in public schools," a press official surnamed Li told METRO yesterday.

A survey conducted by the Federation on the Education of Disabled Children (FEDC) found that 685 among the city's 6,000 disabled children have not received a public school education.

Hao Yue, an official from BFDP, said that the classes for those disabled children would be designed according to their personal needs.

"Some children with severe mental disabilities are not fit for normal classes. What they really need to learn are just basic life skills," she said.

According to Hao, five volunteers will form a group and serve for children alternately. Before they hold classes for the children, the BFDP will hold training courses.

Volunteer recruitment for the project started in November, but at least 400 to 500 more are needed.

A volunteer will be paid 30 yuan per visit to a family, paid by BFDP, Hao said.

Qi Jing, the president of BFDP, said some volunteers were required to have computer and music skills, as well as other specialties.

According to the Beijing News, BFDP planned to recruit retired teachers as volunteers for those disabled children who lived far from downtown area.

"The college volunteers are not available in rural areas, so we need more support from citizens who are willing to join in the program," said Hao.

Some districts had carried out the home schooling for disabled children before this program, which was welcomed by children's parents.

Ran Jing, a mother of a 17-year-old boy in Haidian district, told the Beijing News that her child did not go to schools before the age of 13 due to a learning disability. In 2005, he received free family education provided by Haidian Zhipei Center School. Now he is doing much better, she said.

According to Hao, most parents of those disabled children are willing to get them home schooling. However, some parents were reluctant to participate in the program.

She said it was better for parents to be with their children during the classes, but there were several parents who said they too busy to attend. In many cases, parents had given educating their children at home entirely. "But we will continue to persuade them. Because every child has the right to be educated and they also need to be loved and cared for," said Hao.