Seminar on the worldwide right to education
The seminar participants heard Susie Miles of EENET present on inclusive education and took part in discussions in workshops on cases from Vietnam, India en Russia. Goal of the seminar was to formulate several actions to enhance the right to education for children with (and without) disabilities.
Seminar on the worldwide right to education of children with a disability
The Dutch Coalition on Disability and Development together with IVD International on 24 May 2002 jointly organised a seminar on (worldwide) education for children with disabilities in St. Michielsgestel, the Netherlands. The seminar was partly in Dutch and English language. The report can be downloaded from this page.
Introduction
The UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities clearly state that countries should recognise the principle of equal primary, secondary and tertiary educational opportunities for children, youth and adults with disabilities. They should ensure that the education of persons with disabilities is an integral part of the educational system. The Dutch government internationally strongly advocates the Education for All (EFA) strategy. At the Johannesburg conference (2002) the Dakar Framework for Action (2000) was reaffirmed. The first goal of this framework for action: expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Also at the Children's Summit in New York (2002) the special attention for education was underlined, stressing the need for integration of children with disabilities into (basic) education. Participants of the May 24th seminar however concluded the Dutch government and also donor organisations hardly pay any attention to children that have a disability. The Salamanca Statement adopted - also by the Dutch government - at the World Conference on Special Needs Education (1994) states that the highest priority should be given to make education systems inclusive and adopt the principle of inclusive education as a matter of law or policy. Such schools provide effective education to the majority of children, improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Following these debates the seminar participants formulated actions to get Disability into Education For All. Here a list of actions is presented. Further below this report the seminar's speeches and workshop reports are presented.
Getting disability into education for all
Recalling internationally agreed goals
- The first goal of the Dakar Framework for Action is "expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children", more attention is needed for children with disabilities.
- The Salamanca Statement says the highest priority should be given to make education systems inclusive.
Advocating disabled children's rights to education at donor level
- A strategic alliance between donor organisations active in the education field is necessary, they should work together in order to achieve a multidisciplinary approach to education for children with disabilities;
- Promotion of exchange of experiences: examples and methods of good practices in inclusive as well as special education from the South could help to improve education for children with disabilities in the North as well;
- Promote local solutions for inclusive education, use existing structures and do not automatically import Western solutions, recognise the intrinsic value of indigenous forms of education;
- Networks to integrate inclusive education in developing countries should be strengthened by donor networks;
- Inclusive education should be linked to community based rehabilitation (CBR);
- Promote regular schools with an inclusive orientation as the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all.
Improving education at the children's education level
See also above mentioned action points;
- Special and inclusive education should be complementary working towards integration of children with disabilities; - Special attention must be given to the development of skills necessary for teaching disabled children, helping teachers to understand the process of inclusive schooling;
- Promotion of exchange of experiences: examples and methods of good practices in inclusive as well as special education, in general promoting and facilitating exchange in relevant and appropriate resource material;
- Differentiate strategies to make schooling inclusive, varying on the child's disability, rural or urban situation, infrastructure present, etc.
It is an important priority for DCDD to make integrated education a priority of organisations for development co-operation. DCDD will facilitate discussions and actions that support and advocate educational integration.
The document reports on the following presentations and workshops
- Diversity, Democracy and Disability: Promoting inclusive education for all in the South. By Susie Miles from EENET
- Workshop Inclusive education in Vietnam: a realistic option? By Anneke Maarse, Medical Committee Netherlands-Vietnam (MCNV).
- Workshop From innovation via acceptation, adaptation and implementation to dissemination: development of good practice for children with special education needs in rural India. By Betty Maas, IVD International.
- Workshop Integration in Russia: pass on and reflect
- "(Door)geven en (door)nemen". By Nico van Waveren, Visio Royal Institute for the Education of the Visually Handicapped and the Blind (KIOSB)
- Forum dicussion
More web information
- World Education Forum Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 April 2000. The Dakar Framework for Action. Education For All: Meeting our Collective Commitments--> http://www.unicef.org/efa/
- World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality. Salamanca, Spain, 7-10 June 1994. The Salamanca Statement Framework for Action --> http://www.unesco.org/
- UN Special Session on Children 8-10 May 2002. Declaration 'A World Fit for Children' --> http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/documentation/ (especially see articles number 7.5, 21, 40.2 and 40.4)
- UN Johannesburg Summit 26 August - 4 September: Reaffirmation of Millennium Development Goal --> Ensure that, by 2015, all children will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling and that girls and boys will have equal access to all levels of education relevant to national needs (http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/).
- UNESCO special needs education list of publications --> via www.unesco.org/ - Schools for all - including disabled children in education - EENET --> http://www.eenet.org.uk/
An article on the seminar was published in DCDD's newsletter and can be found by clicking here.