Monthly Wage for Stenographers and Sign Language Interpreters Assisting Students with Disabilities Increased by 300,000 KRW

Ministry of Education Announces Measures to Enhance Educational Welfare Support for Students with Disabilities
Exclusive Elevators to Be Installed at National Universities

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] To support the increasing number of disabled university students in their studies, the government has decided to increase educational support personnel such as stenographers and sign language interpreters and improve their working conditions.

The Ministry of Education announced the "Plan to Revitalize Educational Welfare Support for Disabled University Students" on the 18th, which includes these measures.

According to the Ministry of Education, the number of disabled university students has been steadily increasing: 4,045 in 2006, 5,213 in 2010, 8,598 in 2015, and 9,653 last year.

To support the learning of disabled university students, the Ministry of Education will raise the government subsidy limit for professional educational support personnel such as stenographers and sign language interpreters to 1,862,000 KRW per month, an increase of 302,000 KRW compared to the previous year. The number of professional educational support personnel, which was 160 last year, will also be increased to 200 by 2022.

To improve convenience facilities on campuses, elevators for disabled persons will be expanded in national university buildings with two or more floors. Currently, the installation rate of convenience facilities in universities is 66.7%, and the goal is to increase this to 72.3% by 2022 and 100% by 2033.

Support policies for disabled university students at each university will be included in university information disclosures starting next year so that students and parents can be informed.

Additionally, career and employment education opportunities for disabled university students will be expanded, focusing on hub universities, and educational programs will be developed in collaboration with local related organizations.

Support will also be expanded for training specialized personnel in disability education by adding disability-related indicators to the competency evaluation of teacher training institutions.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "We will continue to make efforts to create an environment where disabled university students no longer feel disability as a barrier and can freely pursue the studies they want at university."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.