President Moon Jae-in pledged Wednesday to step up efforts to give students with disabilities equal rights to education so as to help them better integrate into society.

Moon made the remarks at a ground-breaking ceremony of the nation's first vocational school affiliated with a state-run university for students with disabilities in Gongju, 160 kilometers south of Seoul.

"We must have equal opportunity and anyone can equally contribute to society," Moon said. "Students with disabilities need quality education to develop themselves and learn professional knowledge for their job."

To that end, the government will significantly improve the level of accessibility and convenience on higher education for disabled people, Moon said.

Over the past four years, the government opened 14 schools for students with disabilities and hired more teachers for them, Moon said.

In 2024, the government will open a high-school specialized in teaching arts to disabled students, Moon said.

Another high-school that teaches sports for disabled students will be opened at a state-run university in 2025 in Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul, Moon said.

"The government will make efforts to secure infrastructure for vocational training and create jobs for students with disabilities," Moon said. (Yonhap)