INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN UZBEKISTAN

My name Zilola Jalilova, I worked at a specialized school of Samarkand for children with special needs for six years. I currently work as a volunteer in the Project «Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs in Uzbekistan» at pilot school No. 13. Below I list the 8 basic facts from a volunteer’s life and work:

1 A volunteer is always, so to speak, behind the child in every sense: prompts the child on what to do, how to react in a given situation.

2 If a teacher tells everyone «Children, write down, please,» then, the volunteer, without repeating the words of the teacher, simply prompts the child that it is necessary to react to the teacher’s instruction.

3 The volunteer accompanies the child throughout the school day, i.e. from 8 a.m. until the child leaves the school.

4 The volunteer, in everyday life, solves many different tasks, accompanies the child at recess, helping him to interact with peers.

5 The volunteer is with the child in the classroom, and helps him to translate the teacher’s speech into intelligible form, so that the child, along with everyone, could perform tasks and all sorts of exercises.

6 The volunteer is with the child in the classroom, so that s/he can study under an individual study plan.

7 A volunteer is not a teacher. The person does not need to possess extensive knowledge of the Russian language or mathematics.

8 A volunteer is a conductor between the learning environment: between the teacher and a student with special educational needs and s/he transmits information from the teacher to the child in a way that is intelligible for him/her, which ensures the success of the learning process.