INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN UZBEKISTAN

The Government of Uzbekistan has demonstrated commitment toinclusion of children with special needs in educational institutions.

This Project intends to provide additional support to legal, financial and technical governmentalstructures in the area of inclusive education development.

The Project implements 3 major components in 5 geographical regions – Tashkent city, Samarkand, Namangan, Khorezm and Surkhandarya regions.

Activity 1: Strategic Framework

Development of the long-term strategy, including legal and financial frameworks for the Government to ensure equal and inclusive approaches for children with special needs.

Activity 2: Capacity Development

Development and piloting of pre-service and in-service teacher training modules and non-teacher staff training modules on Inclusive Education

Activity3: Raising Public Awareness

Raising public awareness in Uzbekistan regarding the necessity to implement ways of inclusion of children and adults with special needs.

Major partners of the Project are the National Center for Social Adaptation of Children (NCSAC) and the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

EIGHTMAJORPRINCIPLESOFIMLEMENTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION:

- Value of a person does not depend on his/her abilities and achievements;
- Everyone has the right to communicate and to be heard;
- All people need each other;
- Genuine education can be implemented only in the context of real interrelations;
- All people need support and friendship of peers;
- For all children achieving a progress is what they can do, rather than what they can not do;
- Diversity enhances all aspects of human life.

PROJECT EXPERTS 

Katerina Maynzyuk – International Expert on Budget and Law  
I am an economist by profession; I work on strengthening the budgetary systems, to ensure more effective social services for vulnerable groups of the population - children, elderly, disabled. As part of my activities, I assisted governments in various countries in formation of social policy that is more responsive to the needs of marginalized groups of the population: in the countries of Central Asia, East Asia, Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. In the Project I work together with team on assessment of existing Inclusive Education system in Uzbekistan and development of recommendations for its improvement.

Matthew Griffiths - International Training Expert
I work in the area of inclusion of people with disabilities for over forty years. Until 2000 I worked in the systems of both special and inclusive education, with children and young people who previously were classified as “subnormal” or “uneducable”. Together with my wife in 1970 we adopted two black boys with very severe disabilities, and it was considered that they are unable to live in the family.
I welcome the opportunity to work in Uzbekistan in a project that will really create opportunities for many children with special needs and their families.

Elena Vahakuopus - Expert on development of teaching methodologies and quality assurance mechanism
I have a degree of Educational Psychologist. More than 20 years I work with public administrations, the governments and NNO on development and implementation of educational and social policy to promote social inclusion, inclusive education and rehabilitation of children and adults with disabilities. I believe that Inclusive Education is a basic moral human right.

Dilyara Yusupova – National Expert on impact assessment
I have the Master's degree in Education Administration (Vanderbilt University, USA). In the framework of the Project I plan to develop a mechanism of impact assessment that is needed to answer the question on quality of the Project activities. In the course of the Project I hope to explore ways to improve the learning outcomes of students with special needs in inclusive educational environment.

Sherzodbek Sharipov – Expert on methodology and mechanisms for collection, storage and use of data
In the framework of the Project I work on creating methodologies and tools for collection and analysis of data on children with special needs. In addition, we will develop and pilot an electronic database which ensures the most effective storage method of the data required for inclusive education.

Ilmira Kabulova – Regional Expert, Khorezm region
I am a Mathematics teacher by profession, my teaching experience at school is 23 years. My main rule of life - is the principle “If you open a door, then you need to look inside”. Following this rule, I want to learn something new, to benefit children requiring a special pedagogical approach, to make my own small, but personal, contribution to the development of education in Uzbekistan.

Ikhtiyor Temirov – Regional Expert, Surkhandarya region
Since 2011, I work in the Department of Public Education of Surkhandarya oblast on education of children with disabilities. I really hope that as a result of the Project, as well as of my individual contribution, the level of integration of children with special needs into society will increase, a tolerant attitude towards such children will be developed enabling them to develop individual skills and to be active participants in school life.

Maksuda Mukhsinbayeva – Regional Expert, Namangan region
I am 41 years old, majoring in Educational Psychology. My recent experience of working with people with disabilities has changed my views about these people. For three days I worked, created, together with children with varying degrees of disability, as well as with their parents and teachers. Their attitude towards people around, to each other, to what they were doing, impressed me so much that it is difficult to describe all the feelings experienced. Everything what they learned, they were inculcated from childhood. Education of these children takes much more time, but their success and achievements cover all difficulties.

Ra’no Khalilova – Regional Expert, Samarkand region
I work in a correctional school, a teacher of Russian language. I wish, together with the Project team to raise public awareness about the problems of children with special needs. I consider that all children must study together because life is more important than the disability. All children are different; they have different abilities, different height, age, origin, gender, different ethnic groups. Our task is helping to integrate children with special needs into the education system.

Dildora Tulyaganova – Regional Expert, Tashkent region
I am a defectologist by education. From1995 to 2014 I worked as the Head of the mass kindergarten No. 4 of Bostanlyk district Gazalkent city. From 2010 till now I am the Director of the non-state educational - correctional and rehabilitation Center. In 2009, in preschool educational institution No. 4 in Gazalkent city I organized a group of mixed type, where both healthy children and children with disabilities were brought up and trained on an equal basis. I consider that children with special needs should be socialized in a society without coming off a family and to get an education according to their interests and abilities.

Yulduzkhon Umarbekova – Member of the working group on development of National strategy on Inclusive Education in Uzbekistan
I am an expert on children's rights, as well as a social worker with children and families. I work in the Adaptation Center, in the Department for legal problems of children. I hope that by the results of the Project activities, a work on the implementation of Inclusive Education will begin in our country, and in society – acceptance and understanding, as well as participation in this process.