Number of children with special educational needs exceeds 162,000 in Kazakhstan

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ASTANA. KAZINFORM Deputy of the Majilis Azhar Sagandykova has raised the problems of inclusive education at the lower chamber’s plenary session today, Kazinform reports.

According to her, the number of children with special educational needs in Kazakhstan exceeds 162,000 today, that is 3% of the total number of children.

The main principles of inclusion, she said, are accessibility of education, prevention of discrimination, rational consumption, preparedness etc. It does not exclude that some children will be able to study in specialized schools.

According to the deputy, inclusion principles are based on understanding of special educational needs and touch upon the interests of all children, not fitting into the standard learning environment and facing some difficulties related to the learning process.

«Some experts say that the so-called Psychological Medical Pedagogical Consultations (PMPC) are seen as the main barrier for a quality inclusive education. The number of PMPCs for children with special needs sees a 45% increase today, but the results of their work leave much to be desired,» she stressed.

She reminded that in 2015 Kazakhstan ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and this document ensures their right for a quality inclusive education.

«As per the Convention, children with special needs must be provided with all required devises and tools including teaching materials in Braille, teaching in sign language, as well as assistants who can help them in learning the educational materials, self-care and behavior control. The PMPC must help disabled children get access to a school, but not deny them of this opportunity,» she emphasized.

«We believe it is necessary to reform the work of the Psychological Medical Pedagogical Consultations. The conclusions of the PMPC must not be a de-facto mandatory condition for enrolling a disabled child to a school. The PMPC must focus on the forms of support of children, required for obtaining education in a school,» Azhar Sagandykova said.


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