More mechanisms should be created to help Vietnam's 5 million disabled
people access job training to make sure they fully benefit from the new
Law on People with Disabilities.
Disabled people make up 6.34 percent of Vietnam's population.
The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs has asked
ministries, organisations and individuals to make contributions to the
draft decree, which is used to fine tune the law.
Nguyen Xuan Lap, deputy director of the ministry's General Department of
Social Protection, said those drafting the decree would clarify support
policies for the disabled and enterprises that employ them.
According to the ministry, about 2.5 percent of the disabled has
access to job training classes, but only 16,000 have permanent jobs.
Dang Van Thanh, vice-chairman of the Vietnam Association of Business
and Enterprises for Persons with Disabilities, said the decree should
refer to particular support available during training courses.
He said it should also raise the monthly support for disabled apprentices, which has remained at 540,000 VND since 2005.
Thanh said it is also necessary to create clear procedures to enable
enterprises that employ handicapped people or are owned by handicapped
people to access preferential loans and learn how to reduce tax or make
themselves tax exempt.
According to Government
decree ND81/CP passed in 1995, the number of disabled employees in
larger enterprise should amount to 2-3 percent of total employees. If
not, they are compelled to pay money to fund to create jobs for the
disabled run by the local Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs
departments. However, at present, the fund is accessible in only about
10 cities and provinces.
Thanh said measures are needed to speed up the establishment and operation of the fund throughout the whole country.
"The most important thing now is enforcement of the new law," said
Nguyen Thao Van, human resources manager of the Hanoi-based Nghi Luc
Song Training Centre. She herself is also disabled.
Van said that although the State regulates support for the disabled
during their apprenticeships, most apprentices receive no support, so
they and their families have to manage by themselves.
She also recommended opening more training classes for the disabled.
"The graduation certificates, granted at secondary school, do help them
access better jobs besides the occupation certificate they earn at the
centre," Van said.
Since 2008, the centre has
trained about 700 disabled people about computing and English, 30
percent of them found jobs with monthly payment of 3-4 million VND
(150-200 USD).
She said this proves the
effectiveness of the centre's training model as well as the disabled's
ability to meet higher work requirements and not just be hired to do
manual work, such as handicrafts.
The draft decree
consists of four chapters covering regulations on the types of
disabilities, levels of disabilities - and support in education, work
and social welfare.
The draft proposes increasing
monthly support for handicapped children and elders unable to look after
themselves from 180,000 VND to 450,000 VND (10-23 USD). Those who
take care of them will be given 270,000 VND (13 USD).
The Law on People with Disabilities was approved in June and will take
effect next year. It replaces another law framed in 1998./.
