| Supporting
the Sustainable Development of Education For All Children with Learning
Difficulties in Armenia - Consolidation Phase
Development Objective:
In accordance with the Education for All Flagship on the Right to
Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion, other
international conventions and national legislation, this project
will continue to contribute towards Armenia achieving ‘Education
For All’
Immediate Objectives:
1 To support the Ministry of Education and Science
of the Republic of Armenia to consolidate development of replicable
models and working mechanisms that facilitate equal access for children
with special educational needs to Armenian education system.
By the end of the project:
· All pupils with learning difficulties in special and inclusive
schools in Armenia have access to the newly developed national special
education curricula, delivered by trained teachers
· National Institute of Education (NIE) is training teachers
to required standard in use of special education curricula
· State Pedagogical University trains teachers for special
needs in keeping with internationally recognised standards
· 15 mainstream schools have successfully been supported
to become inclusive schools
2 To support the participation of disability organizations
in the development and monitoring of national education strategies,
plans of action, and appropriate allocation of educational resources
By the end of the project:
· NGO Coalition has 15 members, meets regularly and is key
interlocutor with government on disability issues
· Bridge of Hope (BOH) and NGO coalition are involved in
the development of at least 2 governmental strategies relevant to
Education for All.
· Inclusive Education council established
· National Parents networking functioning as representative
voice for families of children with special educational needs
The project is designed to bring about immediate change in the lives
of boys and girls with disabilities and their families through establishing
systems and capacity for sustainable improvement in the approach
and provision for access to basic inclusive education. It represents
a process which engages Government with civil society in collectively
responding to the education needs of children with disabilities.
The project combines in a coordinated manner the
development of sustainable inclusive education provision via a number
of key institutions and stakeholders.
1)National Institute of Education
To demonstrate a sustainable inclusive approach to education and
ensure that the democratic principles of education in Armenia are
based on non-discriminatory approach to education for all children,
BoH and ME with support of MOES will build the capacity of National
Institute of Education to adapt and change its teaching and training
programs to ensure equal access to, and quality of, education for
all children.
2) Increased inclusive schools
BoH and ME will support MOES and NIE to expand inclusive education
to 15 more schools. This will be done in close cooperation with
NIE and using 5 inclusive schools from the previous phases of the
project as new ’resource schools’.
3)State Pedagogical University
To enhance sustainability in teachers training, the project has
developed a strategy not only to train already working teachers
but also the future teachers. In this respect the State Pedagogical
University (SPU) is a key partner. BoH, ME and NIE will help SPU
to build its capacity to a level to be able to reform its teaching
plans and programs building on new special education curricula and
constructivism.
4) Capacity building of BoH and other NGOs
The capacity building strategy for BoH has been based on both SWOT
analyses conducted by Mission East and Bridge of Hope and Towards
Education For All External Midterm Evaluation recommendations.
It is planned to continue strengthening the advocacy capacities
of the NGO Coalition to be able to undertake more national level
advocacy.
5) Families of Children with disabilities
The strategy is directed at achieving mobilization of families of
children with disabilities not only to reduce their vulnerability
through better mutual support and coordinated service access, but
importantly, to bring authentic voice to the advocating of disability
issues - the demand for effective disability rights - at a higher
level.
Implementation period
24 Months: September 2007- September 2009
The project is supported by DANIDA
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