Disabled young people do not go to school because there is no infrastructure

The disabled young people and children with special education needs are discriminated by the education institution heads. Their access to school is also limited by the lack of the necessary infrastructure. Related statements were made in a roundtable meeting at the Chisinau-based community center for children and youth on October 5, Info-Prim Neo reports. Angela Cara, coordinator of the Education Ministry’s unit for implementing the framework-plan for transforming the system of residential institutions, said that there is yet no database about the exact number of children with disabilities. It is known that 109 children with special needs were out of school at the start of the school year, while 543 were studying at home. According to Angela Cara, the auxiliary schools do not provide the best education conditions for these children. The lack of support staff is a major problem. The few persons holding these posts are paid from the funds of NGOs, not by the state. “The education institutions for children with disabilities lack appropriate infrastructure and furniture. Unfortunately, the stereotypes persist. The parents and the teachers oppose the educational inclusion of these children in the general education system. The children are discriminated and in some of the cases the administrations of education establishments refuse to admit disabled children,” stated Angela Cara. The parents attending the roundtable meeting said that not only the medical support, but also the informational and educational assistance is important for these children. According to the Ministry of Education, slightly over 1,600 children with special education needs have been integrated in the general education system so far.