"My school is inclusive. What about yours?" - schools across the country implement activities to promote inclusion

Since 15 April, all schools in Moldova have been implementing activities to promote inclusion. The campaign is titled "My school is inclusive. What about yours?" It aims to inform, raise awareness, and change attitudes among students, teachers, and parents regarding the inclusion of children with special educational needs. The activity is part of “Learning Together” national campaign, implemented by the Ministry of Education and Research, the Republican Centre for Psycho-Pedagogical Assistance and UNICEF.

During the next few weeks, schools will hold information lessons on inclusion in schools, promoting diversity, acceptance and tolerance, and raising awareness of the challenges faced by students with special educational needs. The role of peers in supporting school inclusion of children with SEN is an important topic.

At the same time, primary, middle and high school students will be encouraged to participate in a drawing competition "Learning together in an inclusive school!" and an essay competition "Together we can learn, together we can become better". These activities will encourage children express their own visions of social and educational inclusion for all children, regardless of ability.

To encourage an active participation, the best works will be rewarded with diplomas, books and school supplies. The competition will take place in several stages, at institutional, district and national level. ARTICO Republican Center for Children and Youth will make the final selection.

The "Learning Together" campaign will raise the awareness of every child's right to have access to education, and will change the society's attitude towards children with disabilities and special educational needs. Only one in three adults would accept now the presence of children with disabilities in the same class as their child, according to data from the Study of Equality Perceptions and Attitudes in the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, in the Focus Groups conducted by CBS AXA, children with disabilities and special educational needs reported being ignored, stigmatized, and not fully enjoying their right to education, while parents of the other children mention that their children's education will suffer if a child with disabilities is in the classroom with them.