Meet Temuujin*, an 8^th grade student at Khovd Soum Secondary School in Uvs province, Mongolia.

Temuujin was in 7^th grade during the 2023–2024 school year when he was diagnosed with intellectual and speech disabilities. He felt excluded and discouraged, and shortly after receiving the diagnosis, he dropped out of school.

An inclusive education teacher met with Temuujin and his family to encourage his return to school. She explained that teachers and staff could adapt the curriculum to Temuujin’s learning needs and provide personalized support to help him thrive in class.

She also provided counseling sessions, and Temuujin gained the confidence to return to his school in 2025. Since then, he has been actively engaging in lessons as well as connecting with his peers.

Temuujin’s progress reflects Mongolia’s expanding system-wide investment in inclusive education – ensuring that schools are equipped with appropriate teaching and learning tools for children with disabilities, awareness-raising activities among peers, active engagement of parents, and targeted training for mainstream teachers.

These efforts, combined with technical expertise and supportive environments, are helping ensure students like Temuujin are not excluded from the education system.

Supporting children with special learning needs

The government has been working with education partners to improve capacity for mainstream primary and lower-secondary schools to support children with special learning needs.

A US$5 million GPE Multiplier grant – leveraged by cofinancing of $3.25 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and $2 million from Save the Children Japan – is managed by Save the Children Australia and supports the following activities from 2022–2025:

1. Train mainstream teachers on inclusive education, particularly the use of individualized education plans and learning assessment for students with disabilities.
2. Create networks for teachers around specific types of disabilities.
3. Pilot the deployment of special education teachers.
4. Provide assistive devices, tools and equipment for children through Student Development Support Classrooms.
5. Build the capacity of parents on participation in the development, implementation and monitoring of individualized education plans.
6. Increase awareness for all children to support peers with disabilities.

Training teachers in inclusive practices

Getting Temuujin back to school was the first step to ensuring he gets the education he deserves. The teachers and staff at his school had to be equipped with the skills to meet his learning needs.

The GPE-funded program has provided almost 4,700 mainstream teachers and school administrators with training to enhance their understanding of inclusive education, develop individualized education plans, improve their knowledge of student diversity and learning styles, and enhance their ability to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of students with varying learning styles.

The program has piloted the deployment of special education teachers to Student Development Support Classrooms in mainstream schools.

In 2024, 18 inclusive education teachers with expertise in mentoring and counseling were selected to participate in capacity-building training.

They then worked in Student Development Support Classrooms in 17 target schools across 2 districts, providing methodological support for classroom activities, re-establishing school support teams, and offering advice to teachers working with children with disabilities.

The trainers developed individual education plans for 191 students with disabilities, provided professional support to 315 teachers and worked with 287 parents and guardians of students with disabilities, offering individual advice and information.

Mongolia’s efforts to make the education system more equitable and inclusive are giving hope, opportunity and agency to Temuujin and thousands of other children with special learning needs.

*Name has been changed.

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