Number of disabled children who attend school on the rise

During about five years while the Educational Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Moldova Project has been implemented, 426 physically and mentally disabled children from disabilities from the municipality of Chisinau and other settlements of Moldova started to attend school alongside the other children. Lucia Gavrilita, executive director of the Center “ Speranta” (“Hope”), told a news conference held to sum up the results of the project that the society's discouraging attitude towards these children remains a problem, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Studies show that the knowledge acquired in a socially inclusive environment is of a better quality. This environment is beneficial to the disabled children and the other children. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that was ratified by Moldova on July 9, 2010 guarantees these children's right to education in secondary schools. Our society does not yet realize that we should accept the disabled children, not condemn them. A number of problems will be thus solved,” said Lucia Gavrilita. The activities carried out within the project include the supporting of educational inclusion, assistance and training at home, provision of multifunctional assessment services, socialization and development of communication and learning skills by games. The children with disabilities were integrated into 70 schools. More than 490 teachers were trained to adapt the tasks to every child's needs. The Educational Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Moldova Project was launched in 2006 with financial support from the UK Department for International Development ((DFID). The director of the Center “Speranta”, which has implemented the project, said the activities will be continued. There will be opened four resource schools for promoting educational inclusion – two in the municipality of Chisinau, and by one in Stefanesti village, Florest district, and in Cahul town. According to statistical data, there are over 16,000 children with disabilities in Moldova. More than 2,000 of them live in the municipality of Chisinau.