Inclusive schools project to launch January 20

Student Support Services Division manager Professor Dennis Conrad said the inclusive schools project, which will be seeking to provide equitable education for students with special needs, will be launching on January 20. He was speaking Friday at a media conference held at the ministry’s offices, Port of Spain.

He said the ministry through the division will be launching the inclusive schools project on January 20 as it coincides with the date for the International Day for the Social Acceptance of Disability and Persons with Disabilities as valued citizens. He added the division has agreed to develop a model of inclusive education which is relevant to “where we are economically and professionally within the Caribbean” and will resist taking a model from other countries and “rubber stamping it”.

He reported that the project will initially work with 21 schools across each educational district. He said by the end of this month the division hoped to create an inclusive education council which will include internal stakeholders and NGOs. He explained the responsibility of the council will be to collaboratively develop, implement and evaluate a relevant inclusive education model.

Conrad said the division is “quite excited at the possibility of responding more dynamically to the needs of all our learners, particularly those with special education needs in our schools.”

He reported that the division recently completed three focus consultations on November 15, 18 and 20 which were very successful and reflected the true spirit and possibilities of effective collaboration between all the units of the division: social work, psychology, guidance and counselling and special and inclusive education. He said the conferences included 22 NGOs working seriously towards coming up with a localised, relevant response to the needs of all learners to ensure they have equitable access to education. Also in attendance were 24 internal stakeholders ranging from school administration, curriculum and various other agencies, and 13 ministry and state enterprises.

“It was definitely an encouraging response by our stakeholders who were able to recognise that special education and inclusive education is not the sole responsibility of the ministry of education, but it is across ministries, across the population and it is indeed a ‘we thing’.”

He added: “This tendency to blame the other is an obstacle towards facilitating education for all.”

He said following the consultations there were very important recommendations, firstly an appeal for legislation.

“That policy without legislation, while it might be moving forward, is stumbling.”

Conrad also said there was massive support for the inclusive schools project which was working towards equitable education for all students. He said the conference also revealed the need to review the assessment process for special education identification and intervention, and the need for all schools to have the essentials to facilitate equitable education.

Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan also attended the media conference and said the ministry continued its strategy, rolled out in 2016, to improving literacy and numeracy at primary and secondary schools. He said one of the areas of particular attention this year is mathematics.

He reported that mathematics pass rates have significantly improved and at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate level it has improved from about 40 per cent in 2012 to 59 per cent currently getting Grade 5 and up.

“So we are seeing improvements with some of the measures and we will continue rolling those out for the next two terms.”