INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN UZBEKISTAN

Stefanija Alisauskiene – Team Leader

I started working in the project in March 2014 as the key expert on inclusive education, and finished it as the TEAM Leader. I had to learn the origins of inclusive education in Uzbekistan and together with national and international partners to promote further quality education for all children. We relied on the principle that all children are teachable, and every child has the right to learn. In the project, we also held consensus that in school the diagnosis of the child is not the most important factor, but his/her abilities, educational needs and support are much more important.

To implement inclusive education school should be available to every child, children with different abilities and needs should be educated together - to engage in educational activities with their peers to participate in school life and feel part of a team. Therefore, general schools and pre-schools are in need of constant support and advice - not just a single training but regular assistance to employees and other stakeholders in order to maintain motivation, development of skills and confidence to become more inclusive.

With the implementation of inclusive education support can be provided in various ways, for example, through the resource centers. During the project five pilot resource centers were opened and successfully work in five regions. We hope that the pilot network of resource centers, pilot schools and kindergartens will expand and will continue to work successfully in the future. One of the main achievements of the project we believe is that we have created a community of practitioners who learned from each other all the time and who reached common success in promoting inclusive education.

I am grateful to all of our national partners, teachers, parents, children and all those with whom we solved the problems of inclusive education. I wish everybody to continue to work successfully in the future.

Mudite Reigase - Expert on inclusive education

I joined the project only in June of 2015 when the project was well on its way. My main tasks were to continue the activities that were being implemented and to organize and provide training for both pedagogues and the members of MPPC/PMPC as well as to provide on-going support to the pilot schools, kindergartens, Resource Centres and of course parents. It was the most interesting an fulfilling experience to visit schools and kindergartens, to communicate with teachers and parents, to share my experience as a teacher and as a member of assessment team of child’ s educational needs.

For me the work in the project was very interesting from the personal and professional point of view. I met so many fantastic people in all the pilot regions. I observed lessons and activities involving children with special educational needs, I met with parents and grandparents of those children and I believe I managed to calm some very anxious family members of children with special educational needs.

It was a good feeling that I could share my experience in inclusive education with my colleagues here in Uzbekistan during the training of teachers and members of MPPC/PMPC as well as during my visits to the pilot schools and kindergartens. My wish for everybody involved in education is to remember that special needs have always been, they exist now and they will be in the future. It can be a tragedy in the family but it is a normal phenomenon in any society but how we handle it shows how developed and mature is our society.

Regina Sabaliauskiene – Policy Framework and Training Expert

In the project I was involved as an expert on training and policy development, I participated in the development of the Long-term Strategy of Inclusive Education and a teaching tool for educators and teachers, conducted training for members MPPC and PMPC, teachers, principals, teachers of institutes for training and retraining of teachers . During two years of the project I was lucky enough to visit five regions of Uzbekistan and meet a lot of wonderful professionals.

When we are talking about inclusive education, we understand that this is a very difficult task that requires serious changes not only in legislation but also in the programs of training and retraining of teachers, the physical environment of educational institutions, in the arsenal of methods that teachers use in their work. But the most important and the most difficult task is to make a changes in people's minds. We need commitment to the ideas of inclusion of the entire community.

It is necessary to adhere to the belief that education should be tailored to the individual needs of each child and each family has the right for their children receive quality education in a regular school or kindergarten. We should remember that children with special educational needs have the same needs as other children: to be loved and cared for, they want to feel safe and be able to explore the world through communication with caring for them adults and with their peers.

I would like to wish all the specialists, whom I met in Uzbekistan every success in the performance of their difficult mission, support of the government, the administration and colleagues, understanding from parents of all children and to obtain satisfaction from the results of their work.

Lola Muminova – Teaching Methods Expert, Deputy Director of the NCSAC

Thanks to the project I have gained a lot of practical experience: consultation of parents, teachers and, most importantly the children with educational needs, their assessment, communication with them. My participation contributed greatly to the development of inclusive education, as it was under my supervision that three teaching aids were developed, together with Elena Vakhakopus we prepared a module for teacher students of pedagogical universities.

Besides I participated in the training of educators, teachers-defectologists, specialists of MPPCs, a summer school, seminars, as well as travels to all pilot schools and gardens for the monitoring, public awareness events about the importance of inclusive education in the country, and participated in international conferences (Dushanbe, Minsk, Yerevan).

After the completion of the project I am planning to work on building the sustainability of the results, expand the field of activities for all the components, to attract additional resources. I want to thank all the participants of the project and wish our foreign experts and Team Leaders Juergen, Stefanija good health, success in their future activities and we will always be happy to meet them again in Uzbekistan!

Ikhtior Temirov – regional expert of Surkhandarya region

Since 2011 I am working in the Office of Public Education of Surkhandarya region in the field of providing education for children with disabilities. I hope that as a result of the project, as well as my personal contribution has increased the level of integration of children with special needs into society, developed a tolerant attitude towards children that allows them to develop independent skills and be active participants in the life of the school.

Sherzodbek Sharipov – Expert on Data Base

I want to express my gratitude to the project «Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs in Uzbekistan», which was implemented during the last two years in Uzbekistan for the opportunity to participate directly in the implementation of several activities of the project as a national expert on database. As a part of the project we have developed appropriate mechanisms for the collection and storage data about the children with special needs in inclusive schools and preschools in the five pilot regions in Uzbekistan.

This work has allowed us to carefully examine the special educational needs of children in the pilot inclusive educational institutions and to gather the most complete information about the abilities and needs of children in education. I am very pleased that as a result of the successful implementation of the project on inclusive education in Uzbekistan the children with special needs got an opportunity to learn in inclusive environment along with their peers and friends showing the successful achievement of the main goals and objectives of the project.

I wish all the children of our country good health, happiness and well-being, and most importantly, to become the greatest, smartest, strongest and happiest people of their homeland! I want to congratulate sincerely all the project team members, all national and international experts, all the beneficiaries and project partners on the successful completion of the project and I want to thank everyone for their close cooperation in implementation of the project.

Ilmira Kabulova – regional expert of Khorezm region

I am very happy and proud of the fact that for two years I worked in the project developing inclusive education in Khorezm. Working together with such fantastic experts, colleagues and partners who were in our team gave me a lot of essential knowledge and skills. Today, looking back two years, I can see my progress as a teacher, a trainer, a manager, a coordinator. I learned to look differently on the challenges faced by any person, I learned to deal with them, learned to see and understand the difficulties faced by children and people with special needs, I learned to help them and finally I learned to see the world through different eyes.

I have become much more positive, more compassionate, more restrained, I developed communication skills, learned how to work in a team. The main thing is that I have got a lot of friends and partners - experts in many areas, who will help me when I need it, and I myself will come to the aid at the first call. I say thank you to all for having accepted me, taught me everything, supported at the difficult moments of my life, which we experienced together. I want to wish all our friends and colleagues creative success.

To be the first is always difficult, but at the same time it is great honor.I am confident that our team will go down in the history of public education in Uzbekistan, as a team, which has made a real and significant contribution in the development of inclusive education. And our work will certainly be appreciated and recognized.

Maksuda Muhsinbaeva – regional expert of Namangan region

This is one of the best projects, where worked with great pleasure. It is a project that is filled with the gamut of bright emotions and feelings. I came to the project without actually knowing anything about inclusive education, but in a short time I was able not only to understand the essence of inclusion, but also became fully involved, drawn into and in love with what I did for almost whole duration of the project. Working in a strong and professional team, meeting the best teachers of the country, the acquisition of knowledge from the best international trainers and, of course, children and their diligence, their love helped me to become better, to grow in personal and professional terms.

I am confident that I will always remember this period of my activities with special warmth. Seizing the moment, I want to thank all those who supported and participated in the project. And I want to note that this is not the end of the project, but only the starting point towards inclusive education. And on the threshold of the beginning of this, I wish you all good health, peace and prosperity! Let all the children be happy and loved!

Makhmuda Namatova – regional expert of Namangan region

Despite the fact that in my professional capacity I work with children with special needs for many years, the participation in the trainings organized by the project «Inclusive Education in Uzbekistan» has given me invaluable knowledge and experience. I have not only improved my knowledge of working with children with special needs, their parents, but also learned the proper organization of work with teachers, how to overcome obstacles and stereotypes.

The project helped to find gifted and talented children and their achievements are beyond praise. Their desire to achieve goals, their attitude to life and to others motivate not only their peers but also adults. I am happy, because these kids were able to attend regular schools and kindergartens, they were able to learn together with everybody, to find real friends, and most importantly, they have helped others to become kinder and more purposeful. Thanks for the interesting and terrific project!

Rano Khalilova – regional expert of Samarkand region

Working in a project for me - above all, is self-realization, because I run the NGO, which deals with the integration of people with special needs. Through the project I once again realized what is important in life, I found wonderful friends who are together with me and I have become a part of the team supporting children and parents with special needs.

With my help the Parents’ Club became active and many people in the city learned about the club and it's great! The project has allowed me to support people who are in doubts and difficulties in the face of choice. I feel that we all make contributions to the development of inclusive society. We will continue our inclusive life!

Dildora Tulyaganova – regional expert of Tashkent region

According to my education I am a defectolog. From 1995 to 2014 I worked as the head of the general kindergarten №4 in Bostanlyk district of Gazalkent city. From 2010 till now I am the director of the non-state educational - correctional and rehabilitation center. In 2009, in the kindergarten № 4 of Gazalkent a mixed group of children was organized where children with special needs were taught and cared for together on equal basis with ordinary children. I believe that children with special needs should socialize in the society without taking them away from their families and their education should be provided according to their needs and interests.

Yulduzhon Umarbekova – National Expert on Legal and Budgetary Frameworks

As an employee of the National Centre for Social Adaptation of Children was initially I was involved in the work of the project, as the protection of the rights of children with special needs is one of the main tasks of our Center. My experience at the Centre helped me carry out properly the project tasks in the organization and legal support of the process of implementation of inclusive education in the pilot educational institutions, which makes me very happy.

The work in the project provided me with the opportunity to take part in the study of international experience in this area, to work side by side with highly qualified foreign specialists as Mrs. Stephanija, Regina, Mudite and Mr. Juergen,. While working in the project I began to deeply understand the importance of the creation of different types of education for children with special needs, according to their abilities and needs.

On the basis of the current legislation of Uzbekistan I helped to improve legal literacy of specialists, parents who are involved in decision-making in relation the educational fate of the child and the creation of inclusive education. And in the future I will continue to work in this direction, because in the country the process of implementation of inclusive education in the education system will continue to improve.

I thank you all and I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who cooperated with us, and will cooperate in the protection of the rights of children with special needs.

Nargiza Alikulova – Expert on Communication and Public Awareness

New conceptions always make us afraid. New concepts for our society - Inclusive education ... children with special needs… an individual approach ... And all this had to be promoted, it was necessary to speak, to communicate correctly, without aggression, without pressure ... Evoking positive feelings from the process. Of course, the project changed me, my attitude to life, children, the society. And, of course, to my attitude to words ... because of my profession I know how words can heal or hurt.

I learned a lot during the project, working with international experts, from the staff of the NCSAC, from teachers and parents, but especially from children. The children - who do not divide the world into healthy/ not healthy, white / black, Uzbek/ not Uzbek ... All these concepts and division are created by us - adults. But children - they love the world as it is.

I am grateful to the team for their support, I thank designers and photographers, who all this time worked side by side in the team with me. Each of us has put a part of our soul into each card, each bulletin, each film and photo. We have tried to make this world a little better. And if, through our work, you learned about inclusive education a little more then we have achieved our goal.