Education for disabled students

The Movement in Favour of Rights for Persons with a Disability believes that each one of us must do his utmost to leave a better world behind. The movement tries to achieve this in the disability sector on a voluntary basis.

Education is the foundation of every individual. Children are sent to school when they become three years of age and continue to receive their education till they become 16, generally in Form 5. At this stage, the student is supposed to be prepared for his future.

Unfortunately, the number of students who are ending their scholastic years, without reaching their full development of the whole personality, including the ability to work, is substantially high. The movement strongly believes and urges the authorities concerned to take immediate and serious action on this problem. All the necessary improvements and changes required in our education system to reach and teach each student according to his abilities must be made.

The Movement in Favour of Rights for Persons with a Disability also urges the authorities concerned to improve the education for students with a disability. It is gladly noted that the number of students with a disability attending regular schools has increased. Our society has realised and understood that the student with a disability has exactly the same rights relative to his individual different abilities.

Accepting a student with a disability in our regular schools is not enough. These students need the necessary and adequate tools and resources to benefit from our system. It is an absolute priority for a student with a disability to have an individual educational programme (IEP) to be able to derive benefit from his education. Moreover, the person who helps this student throughout the scholastic years must be professionally trained to be able to develop his learning skills and abilities. Presently, not all the students with a disability attending regular schools have this very important individual educational programme to assist them to achieve their educational goals.

What has been planned for the future of the students with a disability after completing their last scholastic year, particularly for the students with intellectual disability? Sixteen-year-old students with intellectual disability are not yet ready and prepared for their adult life because their disabililty is conditioning them to learn at a slower pace. Although these students are biologically 16, their mental age is of 12 or 13.

Unfortunately, some students with a disability have already been transferred to special schools after benefiting from the inclusive education system for many years. Under these circumstances, the movement wonders about the studies which took place some years ago, followed by a detailed report, regarding this problem. We are convinced that it was put aside. Otherwise, the procedure of transferring the students with a disability to special schools after benefiting from an inclusive education would not have already been implemented.

The state has the duty and responsibility to give students with a disability the adequate and necessary help at the right time to be able to develop their abilities for the full benefit for themselves and for society. Persons with a disability have much to offer and to give to society. This can only be made possible if the persons with a disability are given the right and necessary education based on the individual educational programme.