The Role of School Aides and the Need for an Inclusive Education System
With the start of the new school year come problems that have long been swept under the rug and that affect both the inclusion and participation of students with disabilities in the school environment. One aspect concerns school aides, as in some cases a single aide is expected to assist more than one child. This raises certain questions. What happens when the children need help at the same time? Do issues of safety and adequate support arise? And to what extent can the current educational system ensure that every child receives the support they need?
Speaking to “Alpha on Sunday,” the President of the Pan-Cyprian Organization of Parents and Friends of Children with Cerebral Palsy and Other Disabilities, “Agkalia Elpidas,” Gioula Pitsiali, highlighted the need for an inclusive educational system that adapts to the needs of all children, ensuring their meaningful participation in education.
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The Needs of Children with Disabilities and the Role of School Aides
Commenting on the role of school aides in the process of integrating these students, she emphasized the need for them to be informed in a timely manner about the needs of the children they are called upon to support. This will enable them to determine whether they are capable of meeting the children’s needs.
But what happens when it is decided that a child will share a support person with other children? As Ms. Pitsiali explained, it is crucial to assess each child’s needs individually before making this decision. According to her, every case is different.
The question that arises is: what happens when children need assistance at the same time? Ms. Pitsiali emphasized that, once it has been determined that a child needs an escort, this means the child faces difficulties in taking care of specific needs on their own. Therefore, in her view, safety concerns also arise, as this practice may create difficulties in providing immediate and adequate support to children when their needs arise simultaneously.
Inclusive Education System
Regarding how the educational system can become more inclusive, Ms. Pitsiali argued that it should be more flexible and adapt to the different needs of students. According to her, class sizes should be reduced in accordance with the children’s needs, so as to create the appropriate conditions for the meaningful participation of all children. At the same time, as she notes, teaching methods should be designed to address all learning styles. She added that there should also be different assessment methods tailored to each child’s needs.
The goal, as he stated, is to create the appropriate conditions that will allow children with disabilities to progress and develop their potential, rather than being hindered by an educational system that requires skills they may not be able to acquire.
“Special Education and Training” Act
Is the current “Law on Special Education and Training” sufficient to strengthen support for children with disabilities? As Ms. Pitsiali points out, this law is the same for everyone. The solution, she says, is to create legislation for inclusive education that would ensure that the educational system will include all children from the outset and will be designed in a flexible manner so that it can respond to the different needs and individual characteristics of each child.
He noted that the government had announced plans to draft and implement unified education legislation. However, as he points out, instead of moving forward with this specific legislation, amendments to the “Special Education and Training” law are being promoted. He emphasized, among other things, that regardless of the amendments, the philosophy of this law remains one of integration rather than inclusion.
The Numbers
Based on the data, the main issue is how the Ministry of Education is handling this matter. Director General of Education Marios Stylianides told “alpha on Sunday” that there are currently about 1,500 school aides working in preschool and elementary education. He explained that this number varies depending on decisions made by the District Committee. The number of children in need of support stands at 3,100, resulting in a ratio of one aide to two children.
As Mr. Stylianidis explained, the decision on whether a caregiver will be assigned to one or more children is made by the District Committee based on the assessments conducted. He explained that the conditions for a caregiver to take on more than one child are: that their needs are compatible and that the caregiver’s presence is not required for all of them at the same time. “These children are placed together on the condition that their safety, dignity, or participation in the learning process is not compromised,” she noted. He also stated that, in the event a child requires individualized care, that child will have their own dedicated aide.
Increase in School Aides
It is worth noting that last August, the Cabinet approved 208 positions for school attendants in elementary education. When asked whether this specific number would help solve the problem, Mr. Stylianidis stated that “the problem can clearly be solved” with this increase.
Inclusive Education
A reasonable question is how the Ministry of Education helps children with disabilities so that they do not remain mere observers in the classroom. According to Mr. Stylianidis’s statements, the Ministry is expected to submit a bill on inclusive education to Parliament in order to change the institutional framework aimed at including individuals with disabilities in schools. “Based on the picture we have, I believe that whatever problems arise will be resolved, and the school year will begin with children who need assistance from aides receiving it,” he noted.
