Prague, Jan 29 (CTK) – The Czech Education Ministry has introduced a two-year transitional period for schools to join the inclusion in education project that starts in September with the aim to integrate children with slight mental and social handicaps in mainstream classes, Hospodarske noviny (HN) wrote on Friday.
According to the relevant law, the changes are to start with the school year 2017-18.
However, head teachers as well as the self-governing regions that run elementary and secondary schools, criticised the plan as poorly prepared and demanded its postponement.
A new ministerial directive says that children with a slight mental disability or autism will be entitled to supportive means as mainstream class students as from September 2018, HN writes.
Education Minister Katerina Valachova (Social Democrats, CSSD) originally resolutely rejected any postponement of the project, but finally, she gave in to the critics, the paper says.
“We have two years to secure a situation where any school anywhere in the Czech Republic is capable of fulfilling the law in relation to children with special needs. I think a two-year [transitional] period is sufficient,” Valachova is quoted as saying.
The law guarantees money for schools to pay assistants to handicapped children and other aids.
During the transitional period, the old and the new system of supportive means will be implemented simultaneously, HN writes.
The association of teachers dealing with handicapped students has welcomed the postponement of the mandatory introduction of the new duties.
On the other hand, the postponement is opposed by Ondrej Liska, who strongly promoted the inclusion system as former education minister for the Green Party eight years ago.
According to Liska, every student should be granted the kind of support they need, including an assistant, a table or Braille textbooks. The money for it must be secured by the Education Ministry, HN writes.
Inclusion in education is a common system in many European countries, it adds.
