Education Minister Athina Michailidou described the Ministry’s initiative to modernize special education as “landmark”—a proposal that was approved today, Wednesday by the Cabinet.
As the Minister said after the Council’s session, “This is an emblematic initiative that we have wanted to implement for 27 years. We’ve been operating under the 1999 legislation regarding special education, so that alone is enough for us all to understand that we must change the regulations concerning the education of children with disabilities”.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
He noted that for far too many years, children, parents, and teachers have all suffered within the system, and for this reason, he said, it is very important that with the new legislation we are shifting toward a more child-centered, more personalized approach to education.
She noted that the new legislation promotes the inclusion of children in mainstream schools, an enhanced support program tailored to the needs of each child with a disability, early diagnosis, continuous assessment, as well as support through improvements to existing timelines and enhancements to the overall process of assessing and supporting children.
We will continue to award diplomas to all children attending mainstream schools, as well as place emphasis on the educational framework within which children with disabilities function in mainstream schools, including educational materials, differentiated instruction, and pedagogical measures so that children can both attend school and learn to the fullest extent of their abilities in the classroom.
Ms. Michailidou noted that children’s right to attend school is inalienable, and it is our obligation to facilitate their education.
She recalled that this was preceded by a public consultation, an intensive effort to gather the views of all stakeholders, a legal review, and today’s decision by the Council of Ministers, after which the bill will go to the House of Representatives, where the final decisions will be made.
“This is a very important moment for us, as we are finally giving Cyprus’s public schools the opportunity to be more inclusive and better tailored to the needs of every child,” she emphasized.
The Minister also noted that the entire initiative is supported by the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, which will be involved in this effort.
“To improve our education system, it must also be more inclusive. This is a very important phase of our reform effort,” the Minister concluded.
SEE ALSO: The seven cost-of-living measures approved by the Cabinet at a glance (TABLE) | AlphaNews
Source: KYPE
