Unconditional education for students with disability

The Movement in Favour of Rights for Persons with a Disability would like to express its serious concerns regarding the current situation of students with intellectual disabilities after they are 16.

The Education Act says that "it is the right of every citizen of the Republic of Malta to receive education and instruction without any distinction of age, sex, belief or economic means.

"It is the duty of the State to promote education and instruction, to ensure the existence of a system of schools and institutions accessible to all Maltese citizens catering for the full development of the whole personality, including the ability of every person to work; and to provide for such schools and institutions where these do not exist."

Students who wish to continue their education can do so by attending Sixth Form and then University or other institutions of tertiary education.

But how and where can a student with an intellectual disability continue his/her education and be prepared for adult life?... According to the Department of Education, the said student attends mainstream education until he is 16 and then, he can attend a special school until the age of 19. This 'procedure' is very worrying and disturbing.

The mental age of a person with an intellectual disability is always comparatively less than a person without such a disability. Therefore, when a person with such a disability is 16, his mental age is that of a 12- or 13-year-old and this varies from case to case.

This means that, at 16, these students are not yet ready and prepared to leave school like their peers. They would not have fully benefited from their education. This does not happen because they do not want to or because they cannot achieve more but, because of their disability, they need more time to learn. In our opinion, it is not the right and best solution for these students to spend another three years in special schools.

Our special schools accept either those students with a specific disability or else, students with a disability who, after being assessed, are recommended to these schools for their own individual benefit. Thus the movement cannot understand the mentioned reasoning of the Department of Education.

The department spends substantial resources to provide education for students with an intellectual disability within the mainstream and this because it believes in inclusion and in the students' abilities. It is therefore a conflict of ideals when these students are transferred to special schools after benefiting within the mainstream education.

Our movement really believes in the abilities of these persons with an intellectual disability. We do not think and it cannot be, that this decision was taken by the Department of Education because of lack of funds. It is a known fact that Sixth Form and University students are given a stipend to help attain their aims.

We are so much in agreement that we believe that students with an intellectual disability should also be supported to attain their goals. Their aims are to learn as much as possible, within their own limitations, both academically and socially, so that they can also have a place within the labour market. This can be made possible if every student with a disability has an individual programme carried out and implemented professionally by dedicated people.

From the very first years of their secondary education, the teaching and preparation for adult life of students with a disability, especially those with an intellectual disability, must begin. This preparation should at least provide these students with a decent job.

The authorities concerned must understand that they cannot impose a biological age limit for learning. One cannot expect these 16-year-olds with a disability to react according to their actual age. It is their disability which is conditioning them to learn at a much slower pace. Some of them are successful, while others will be given the opportunity. This means equal opportunities for all.

The movement asks all the authorities concerned to make very serious plans and decisions with regard to the education of students with an intellectual disability. Education is the foundation of every individual.

The movement is convinced that each and every one of us wishes and works very hard to obtain good foundations for himself. It is the duty of the state to provide all students with an intellectual disability with all the necessary services for positive results. These should be made available without any conditions.