Parts of the Czech government want to scale back the inclusion of children with disabilities in the country’s mainstream schools. Headteachers are to have the right to refuse pupils with health impairments. Commentators in the national press view this is the wrong approach.
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Politicians’ job is to remove obstacles
It’s important to listen to those who fully understand the situation, Forum24 recommends:
“Perhaps it would be wise for the authors of such changes to take a greater interest in the experiences of parents, teachers and experts who work with these children on a daily basis. They would discover that behind the official rhetoric lie individual human stories, abilities and ambitions. No one is claiming that every school can cover all needs without additional resources. However, we should expect politicians to remove obstacles, rather than putting them in pupils’ way. Children who need help are not a problem that a school should ignore. They are people whom the education system should help to succeed.”
Inclusion is not just a burden
Hospodářské noviny criticises the move:
“This will place a considerable burden on the families of pupils excluded in this way – particularly if they have to commute to a school far away from their home. … Or because it means their humiliating, unnecessary placement in a special school that limits their development and hinders their future careers. … Inclusion places an extra burden on teachers. But it is an investment in the citizens of this country. Looking ahead, we must raise the level of education as much as possible, as well as the empathy and social skills of all children. … That is why it makes more sense to stabilise the number of teaching assistants in standard schools. What retrograde measures will they come up with next? The re-education of left-handers perhaps?”