Δράση
- Κατηγορία: ΝΟΜΟΘΕΣΙΕΣ / ΣΥΜΒΑΣΕΙΣ
Παρέμβαση Επιτρόπου ανεξάρτητου μηχανισμού παρακολούθησης της εφαρμογής της Σύμβασης των Δικαιωμάτων των ατόμων με αναπηρίες μετά από τον αποκλεισμό τους από τα σχολεία
english text
Dear all,
According to your references, the ultimate vision for inclusive education systems is to ensure that all learners of any age are provided with meaningful, high-quality educational opportunities in their local community, alongside their friends and peers. For this vision to be enacted, the legislation directing inclusive education systems must be underpinned by the fundamental commitment to ensuring every learner’s right to inclusive and equitable educational opportunities.
All European countries are committed to working towards ensuring more inclusive education systems.
The operational principles guiding the implementation of structures and procedures within inclusive education systems must be those of equity, effectiveness, efficiency and raising achievements for all stakeholders – learners, their parents and families, educational professionals, community representatives and decision-makers – through high-quality, accessible educational opportunities.
With this vision in mind, in its work with member countries your Agency will endeavour to provide guidance on the development of inclusive education systems that aim among other goals to ensure that all stakeholders value diversity. This principle should be enacted through actively engaging stakeholders in dialogue and providing support to enable them to make individual and collective contributions to widening access to education and improving equity to enable all learners to realise their full potential.
According to most parents with children with disabilities here at Cyprus, and according to your above expectations, the educational system here needs changes. A major change to achieve, is that every parent, has the right to participate as an equal partner in the education process and provision of support to their child, in the child’s best interests.
With experience in special education reality of so many years, if the draft bill of the discussion organised for the educational reformation, is kept and finalised as it is now, there is a real problem. Weight and balance rule is lost. Although parents must have the right to participate as an equal partner, according to the draft bill presented now, parents don’t have effective and fast tools if any other partner behaves outside the rules of inclusive education. Obligations are also clearly described only towards the parents’ side, without obligations of equal magnitude on the other stake holders. In case of conflicts, even if the only means for balance to be sustained are the court rooms if the draft will be turned to a law as intended, then the rights of the children will mostly loose because there will be nothing to prove that non balanced decisions were made. Children’s inclusive education should not be under the full control of any stake holder. At Cyprus during the evening of 20/05/2020 onwards, children with special needs faced an 100% exclusion, just because the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, decided to act as it did and still does the same. The basic demand for children with special needs to undergo special process is still there. Greece that Cyprus followed step by step actions for COVID – 19 management and so many other European countries didn’t follow the bad example of Cyprus, regarding the return to schools for children. They have let all the children return to school with the same uniform procedure. Special procedures here, do keep discrimination so strong and unbeatable and parents don’t have real time tools to eliminate it, on equal basis.
Please read the attached Report of the Office of the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights as Independent Mechanism for the Protection, Promotion and Monitoring of the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Equality Body, dated May 21, 2020. After you read it, you will realize why what is mentioned within this letter and generally demanded from the average parent, are really so valid and why the issue is deeper than it seems. Please really protect the rights of our children with a new draft bill. Don’t create rights for any authority that actually eliminate the rights for inclusive education so easily. Real time tools against such actions surely must be included and obligations towards one side only must be avoided. Obligations of the executional authority must be such to protect children wrights, not to overrule, not to divide. The attached report of the commissioner mentions guides in law that should never be lost. Equal statements during the same period, were made by the Commissioner for Children’s Rights here at Cyprus but are not available in English.
Attached: The report of the commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights as Independent Mechanism for the Protection, Promotion and Monitoring of the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Equality Body