Categorie: Comunicate

Bucharest, November 5^th, 2015.  European Centre for The Rights of Children with Disabilities expresses its deep concern about the appointment as Interim Premier of Mr. Sorin CÂMPEANU, Minister of National Education.

Although we understand that it is an interim mandate, governed by law, we consider that this appointment represents a defiance to the hundreds of thousands of parents of children with disabilities in Romania, whose children have no access to education, are heavily discriminated and mostly isolated in special schools.

As noted repeatedly, in Romania, there are over 70,000 children with disabilities.

18.000 ARE NOT ENROLLED IN SCHOOLS

31.000 are isolated in special schools

In five years, only 39 children with disabilities were able to get out of special schools and enroll in mass schools in Bucharest.

The Ministry of Education spends annually more than 100 million euros for special schools. However, these money never reach the schools, for the children’s needs, but are being lost in the County Councils.

About all these questions, as well as numerous abuses, molestations and physical, emotional and verbal aggression of children with disabilities in schools, Mr. Sorin Campeanu was repeatedly informed by our organization, hundreds of parents, representatives of international bodies informed of the dramatic situation of children with disabilities in Romanian schools, by the media.

All these measures and requests went unanswered.

In this context, we urge the withdrawal of the mandate as Interim Premier of Mr. Sorin Campeanu and the avoidance of any possibility of renaming him in a similar position in the Romanian government.

Furthermore, we would like to emphasis the fact that the public policies and decisions made by Mr. Sorin Campeanu, as Minister of Education reiterated and deepened the massive violation of international regulations in force regarding the right to inclusive education of children/people with disabilities, being the tributary of the outdated and discriminatory mechanisms promoted by the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research.

Additional information about the violation of the rights of children with disabilities concerning education, the precariousness of the services offered, about isolation, abuses and discrimination against them under the direct coordination of the Minister of Education, can be found in international reports effected by representatives of the Council of Europe, United Nations etc.

Children with disabilities in Romania and their parents are Romanian citizens with equal rights, no longer willing to remain insignificant and invisible for the government. For the simple reason that this means the SOCIAL DEATH OF OUR CHILDREN.

In this context, the European Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities initiated a process of forming a coalition of parents of children with disabilities to ensure that the rights of our children will be respected.

 

 

Contact

Mădălina Turza

Email: madalina.turza@cedcd.ro

Mob: 0737545955                                                                                                                         

Fax: 021/7952465

Teachers for INCLUSON is a petition initiated by the teachers who, over the years, received and educated in their classroom children with disabilities – SIGN HERE

Because educating a disabled children requires time, effort and resources, today they demand a change. If many teachers have inexhaustible patience and dedication, they can not compensate, however, the lack of necessary infrastructure so that they can conduct a DECENT pedagogical act.

If you also think that the teachers need the support system and the appropriate measures to manage children with disabilities in regular schools, VOTE for TEACHERS FOR INCLUSION petition.

European Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities supports the approach of teachers who believe in INCLUSION and make efforts to achieve it. – www.cedcd.ro

„Mr. Minister of Education,

We, the teachers, address you this open letter to bring to your attention the more than difficult situation of children / students with disabilities and, not least, of us, the teachers, because we are in the position of wanting to do more for them within a normal school, but we can not.

Due to the free and compulsory education, we find ourselves in the ungrateful the situation of educating students with varying degrees of disability whom, unfortunately, the current educational system does not offer many chances. There are, of course, special schools but they are few comparing to the number of students with disabilities and they often do not represemt a solution for all children with special educational needs.

Also, nowadays, the recommendation of doctors, psychologists and international law in force, on which Romania joined, is to integrate students with special needs in normal schools. This results in facilitating their integration in the community, in society and to achieve the maximum potential that each child possesses.

Families of disabled children seeking enrollment in normal schools are confronted with the lack of flexibility of the education system, the lack of teaching methods and resources. The lack of a clear strategy, which is centered on the student with disabilities and on his needs, leads to their exclusion from the system, the labeling in society and condemneds these children to a life with a limited horizon of knowledge.

We, the teachers who have worked in class with one or more students with disabilities, did not have the necessary tools to succeed to relate to their needs. Through our own efforts and resources, we worked differently, we drafted remedial plans, we monitored the student progress as we could and we kept constantly in touch with the family, but there is a need of support and reform. A teacher can NOT do more. The time is insufficient, the resources are minimal and the requirements of the other students in class prevail, as they are entitled to request the maximum attention of the teacher.

We support the fact that not all students are the same, but everyone has the right to quality education, to chance which, if given at the right time, can make a difference in these children’s lives and future. We bring to your attention several issues that can be implemented in the educational system in order to give EQUAL educational opportunities to all students, including to those with disabilities:

1. Create a strategy centered on the student with disabilities by rethinking performance standards and key competences; the performance of a student with disabilities differs from that of a ‘typical’ student.
2. Develop differentiated curriculum in collaboration with specialists  who can take into consideration the possibility of learning the courses of these students;
3. The possibility of differentiated evaluation to reflect their level of knowledge based on their level of perception of such knowledge;
4. Implementing programs, projects to eliminate discrimination against these students, after the model of those which aim the schooling of students from different ethnic backgrounds, those from poor, disorganized families;
5. Reducing the number of students enrolled in classes where there are children with disabilities;
6. Increasing the number of hours assigned to support teachers and regulating the possibility of participation in class of private support teachers;
7. Initial and subsequent training for teachers in order to be able to work with such students;
8. Including in the psycho-pedagogy and methodical courses basic information regarding students with disabilities and specific learning methods.

We consider these the first steps towards offering these students the opportunity to a better life. We know that the first steps are uncertain, hesitant, but they are the most important steps we have ever made!

In order that the vision and mission of schools to be complete, we have to take into consideration these children.

They only ask for a chance! The rest will be done by them!

We owe them this chance!”

 

Prof. Andreea Ioana Stoica,

Prof. Gabriela Livada

Contact:

Madalina Turza – executive director CEDCD

Tel: 0737545955

E-mail: madalina.turza@cedcd.ro