Tara O’Connell, Chief of Education at UNICEF Viet Nam
As Viet Nam commemorates the Day of Persons with Disabilities on April 18, O'Connell granted an interview with VGP to reflect on progress and journey ahead to ensure no child is left behind in rapidly evolving digital society.
According to Viet Nam's 2023 Disability Survey, approximately 556,000 children live with disabilities. These children face substantial challenges in accessing quality education, with only 68 percent attending primary school and a dramatic drop to only 30 percent at the upper secondary level.
The digital revolution presents both unprecedented challenges and opportunities for these children. The World Bank's "Pivoting to Inclusion" report highlights how the digital divide can exacerbate the learning gap for students with disabilities, particularly when digital solutions lack accessibility features. For example, only 33 percent of people with disabilities in Viet Nam have internet access compared to 83 percent of those without disabilities.
Yet, when implemented thoughtfully, digital technologies offer transformative opportunities. UNICEF's "Digital Technologies, Child Rights and Well-being" policy brief emphasizes that technology can be a powerful equalizer for all children—especially disadvantaged groups—if access is safe and appropriate. Assistive technology can make the difference between participation and exclusion, improving graduation rates, confidence, and optimism among learners with disabilities.
Children and adolescents in Viet Nam supported to access to high-quality educational resources
Regarding UNICEF's assistance for Viet Nam, O'Connell said, UNICEF Viet Nam is leading the charge in promoting inclusive education through its Digital Public Goods initiative. By leveraging innovative digital technologies and content, UNICEF aims to ensure that children and adolescents, particularly those from marginalized communities, have access to high-quality educational resources.
Two key projects under this initiative include the "Open Digital Library for Vietnamese Children" and "Virtual Reality Game-Based Modules to Support Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Viet Nam."
These efforts, which are targeted at the most marginalized learners, reflect commitment to digitalizing education in an inclusive and sustainable manner, creating an environment where every child can thrive and reach their full potential.
The Global Digital Library (GDL), a free, open-access platform, offers approximately 6,000 books in 82 languages. In collaboration with government partners, UNICEF and GDL have localized and adapted the library to provide access to open, high-quality, digital early grade reading books and resources in Vietnamese, eight underserved ethnic minority languages, and sign language.
This initiative plays a critical role in promoting the use of mother tongue languages and supporting literacy development for children of diverse backgrounds. Additionally, a reading app has also been developed for use with the platform to improve accessibility, particularly for children with visual and audio impairments.
Through the GDL initiative, UNICEF equips teachers to utilize digital resources and apply them in their daily teaching. Already, 5,000 students, including those with disabilities, have benefited from these resources.
UNICEF, in partnership with the National Centre for Special Education and VRapeutic, has developed and adapted open-source VR modules and a supporting desktop application. These therapeutic games target three types of attention—sustained, selective, and alternating—and are designed for children aged 6 to 12 with ADHD.
By collaborating with educational institutions and trained therapists in Viet Nam, UNICEF ensures the tool is culturally relevant and effective. This initiative empowers therapists with data-driven therapy plans and the ability to track children's learning progress.
In addition to DPGs initiatives, UNICEF Viet Nam is committed to enhancing digital accessibility and inclusivity through various other innovative projects. One such initiative is the launch of 'vi vu', a Vietnamese Text-to-Speech (TTS) software in Viet Nam's Southern dialect. In collaboration with UNICEF headquarters and ATscale, this software aims to reach underserved groups and promote greater global inclusivity.
By providing a high-quality voice option for screen readers and other assistive technologies, we are fostering greater inclusion and digital literacy, ensuring that visually impaired users can access information and education in their native language.
Every child in Viet Nam prepared for Industry 4.0
According to O'Connell, technologies have an impact that extends far beyond academic achievement. They're creating pathways to independence, social connection, and future employment opportunities. When children with disabilities can access the same information and participate in the same learning experiences as their peers, artificial barriers that have historically limited their potential will be removed.
Yet significant challenges persist in making these technologies universally accessible. According to the WHO and UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology (2022), while over 2.5 billion people worldwide need at least one assistive product, nearly 1 billion of them cannot access these technologies. In low and middle-income countries, the rate of meeting assistive product needs is only about 3 percent, highlighting the significant gap between persons with and without disabilities.
"As Viet Nam accelerates towards a digital economy, we must ensure digital transformation is inclusive from the start. This requires action across multiple sectors: promoting digital readiness; scaling up teacher capacity development on emerging technologies through modular, gender-responsive training programs; strengthening copyright exceptions to facilitate the production of accessible materials; and integrating inclusive education policies that mandate accessible formats and assistive technologies in schools", told the UNICEF official.
Additionally, involving ethnic minority students, those with disabilities, and teachers in the design of digital learning content ensures cultural relevance and equitable learning outcomes. Investing in digital infrastructure and prioritizing accessibility for all children, regardless of ability or location, is crucial.
O'Connell highlighted the significance of the collective will to implement it equitably and comprehensively across Viet Nam's education system, adding that it is essential to ensure digital technology connects all children to opportunity and prepares every child in Viet Nam for Industry 4.0, regardless of their abilities.
"I would also like to congratulate Viet Nam for its recent decision to waive tuition fees in public schools. This marks a significant step forward in promoting inclusivity and equal opportunity for all children. UNICEF remains committed to supporting the Government in ensuring that all children, including those with disabilities, receive the support they need to fully participate in and benefit from quality education", told the UNICEF official./.