INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN UZBEKISTAN

800 children with special educational needs went to kindergartens and school classes of the mainstream education system on September, 2, in the framework of the “Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs in Uzbekistan” Project funded by the European Union.

Within the next six months in close cooperation with the Ministry of Public Education, the “Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs in Uzbekistan” Project will provide ongoing support not only to teachers in schools and kindergartens, but also other professionals (for example, doctors, psychologists, etc.) as well as to parents, promoting educational and social integration of children with special needs. Resource Centers for Inclusive Educationestablished under the support of the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan will play a crucial role in this process. Therefore, the regional coordinators on Inclusive Education, operating in the Resource Centers will provide all kinds of necessary support to stakeholders.

Regional Inclusive Education Coordinators have confirmed their high interest and commitment to the pilot implementation of inclusive practices, in particular, the teachers and parents. At the same time, prejudices remain characteristic of some parents of children without special needsin relation to co-education oftheir children together with children with special educational needs. Inclusive educational environment provides special support for tracking the educational process. Legal and regulatory framework is very well developed in Uzbekistan and provides a number of opportunities for more inclusive educational practices. Thus, national and international instruments have been already adopted.

After independence, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was one of the first international documents ratified by Uzbekistan on December 9, 1992. Protection of the rights of children in Uzbekistan is regulated by norms of various branches of the national Law. In 2007 Uzbekistan adopted the Law “On Guarantees of the Rights of the Child”, which establishes guarantees of the rights of children in healthcare, education, social welfare and comprehensive development. Special emphasis in this law is made to safeguard the rights of vulnerable children and children with special needs. In 2009, Uzbekistan signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was endorsed by the UN General Assembly in December 2006.

The Convention contains 50 articles aimed on protection and promotion the rights of persons with disabilities, elimination of discrimination against them, protection their rights to work, health, education and full involvement in society. Inclusive Education aims on ensuring equal access to education for all children in terms of adaptation to different needs of children, including children with special needs. The principles of Inclusive Education mean that each child has a fundamental right to education and should be able to get and keep an acceptable level of knowledge. Persons with special educational needs should have access to learning in mainstream schools.

Regular schools should create the conditions on the basis of pedagogical methods, focused primarily on children with the aim of meeting these needs. Sustainable financing of more inclusive education systems in Uzbekistan have been implemented with the transition to “funding per capita” forschool services, which are also the foundation.