Representatives of civil society, alongside parents of children with hearing impairments, mounted a protest in front of the Government Building on July 30. They demanded that the authorities should ensure the children’s right to education by introducing the subject “Sign Language” at education institutions of all levels. Moreover, they said that if the authorities do not ensure learning conditions for them in general education schools, they should not close the special schools where the children with hearing impairments studied until now, IPN reports.
Vitalie Meşter, executive director of the Center for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said the goal of the protest is to warn the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research about the necessity of ensuring the right to inclusive education. If these children cannot be enrolled in general education schools because the system is not prepared, the special schools should be kept.
Ruslan Lopatiuc, chairman of the Association of the Deaf of the Republic of Moldova, noted that communication is very important and sign language is the only communication method for deaf-mute children. Today, a lot of children with hearing impairments study at general education schools, but conditions for them are not created here and there are not enough sign language interpreters, psychologists, logopedists who can facilitate the learning process for these children. The dissatisfaction arose when it was decided to close the special schools in Cahul and Hârbovăț. The parents are not against studies at general education schools, but want inclusive conditions to be created there first.
In a petition addressed to the authorities, it is said that in June the parents of students with hearing impairments who attended the boarding schools for deaf and mute children in Cahul municipality and in Hârbovăţ village of Călăraşi district were contacted by the principals of these institutions and told to come and take children’s files as the given schools will be liquidated and the children should be registered at schools at the place of residence.
The mother of a deaf and mute child said that with the closure of special schools, these children are deprived of the right to study, to communicate. Another mother said she knows sign language just a little and cannot thus communicate with the own child. The situation will worsen if the child cannot communicate at school too. A father said his child does not want to go to a general education school because he cannot cope.
Secretary of state at the Ministry of Education Natalia Grîu came out before the crowd and said that the ensuring of each child’s access to education is a priority for the authorities. The authorities plead for the integration of children into the general education system and are against their isolation in separate schools. For the 24 children who attended the special schools in Hârbovăț and Cahul, individualized assistance will be ensured. Each child will be assisted by a support teacher and will study according to an individualized plan.
The subject is to be discussed in a meeting at the Ministry of Education on August 3, which will involve parents of children with hearing impairments and the directors of the two special schools.
