How to work with "special children": Kazakhstan needs a methodology
Issues of inclusive education in the pre-school educational system were discussed at a round table organized by the Kazakhstan Association of Preschool Organizations (KAPO) and the Republican Association "Asyl Bala" with the support of NCE RK "Atameken".
Currently, children with disabilities in education can get education not only in special closed boarding schools, but also go to regular kindergartens and attend general education schools. Such special education as part of the general education system is called inclusive education.
"Today a lot has been done in this direction. However, we still have not achieved some goals in the development of inclusive education. Still, there are not enough educators, whose training level as a whole should remain high. It is clear that it is not so quick to break the system, but the revaluation needs to be done by the society itself. The sooner we move on to inclusion, not only in kindergartens, schools, but also in higher education, the better. Perhaps in a private environment this issue will be resolved more quickly. Many thanks to Atameken for raising this topical issue", - the deputy of the Mazhilis, the Ombudsman for Children in Kazakhstan Zagipa Baliyeva said in her welcoming speech.
More recently, on 12 of December, a separate section devoted to the problem of inclusive education, according to a member of the Committee for Social and Cultural Development of the Mazhilis Natalia Zhumadildayeva, was presented at an extended meeting in Parliament.
"Given that the total education system requires about 92% coverage with an inclusive, in the school system it is 80%. These are children who are at home, in special institutions. We all understand that inclusive is an accessible environment. Meanwhile, for people with special needs there are no elementary amenities, there are no hygienic rooms, latrines, the ramps aren’t everywhere", - the Mazhilis member noted.
Despite the creation of specialized centers in the country, the opening of kindergartens with inclusive education, correctional rooms, the issue of integrating children with special needs into society remains open. Discussing the problem, the participants of the debate spoke about the lack of material and technical base, special adaptations, the shortage of teachers, tutors (tutors), educational and methodological literature.
"We have all the legal and regulatory framework, but there are no reserves. Substantial support could be provided by the business community", - added Aigerim Kuderinova, head of the Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Talgat Doskenov, chairman of the Social Sphere and Social Partnership Committee of the Presidium of NCE RK "Atameken", the chairman of the Kazakhstani Association of Entrepreneurs recalled the register of social problems created within the framework of the campaign "Atameken".
"Entrepreneurs could provide concrete assistance to people with disabilities, you just need to leave an application", - he said.
In turn, Director of the Human Capital Development Department of NCE RK “Atameken" Olzhas Ordabayev offered to use the project TOM: Kazakhstan. In the context of meikaton, makers (craftsmen), together with people with disabilities, create prototypes to solve their everyday problems.
Zagip Baliyeva summarized the results of the meeting. According to the Ombudsman, the Ministry of Education and Science needs to develop a special instruction for participants in the system of inclusive education.
"Then, for example, an entrepreneur who wants to help will know how much he needs to produce (supply) the necessary equipment. How to build, for how many and what kind of children, for example, with cerebral palsy, "sunny children", "children of the rain". We need a separate technique. There are over 7 thousand schools in the country, you need to study how many children, in what region with what diseases are registered", - Zagipa Baliyeva stressed.
One of the objectives of the state program for the development of education in Kazakhstan is to improve the system of inclusive education. Under this program, by 2020, the proportion of children enrolled in inclusive education from the total number of children with disabilities in development should be 50%.