INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN ALBANIA Best Practices Tirana, 2017 INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN ALBANIA BEST PRACTICES Expert B Merita PONI E S T P R A Tirana, 2017 C T I This publication is supported by Save the Children. C E S Save the Children believes every child has a future. Around the world and in Albania, we give children - I a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes n c for children – every day and in time of crises – transforming the life and the future we share. l u s i v e E This report on best practices was produced in the framework of the project Inclusive Education for d u Children with Special Educational Needs in Albania, financed by the Italian Agency of Cooperation for c a Development implemented by Save the Children Albania in partnership with MEDPAK Association t i o and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sport. n f o r The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of Save the Children. C h i l d r e © All Rights Reserved. The content of this publication may be freely used or copied for non- n commercial purposes, provided that any such reproduction is accompanied by acknowledgment of w i the organisations, mentioned above, as a source. t h S p e c i a l E d u c a t i o n a l N e e d s i n A l b a n i a ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Expert would like to thank to all those who contributed to the compilation of this report on field, in 7 regions, in particular Medpak staff, as well as all of them who contributed to this manual with comments, suggestions and technical advice. Many thanks go to Save the Children team for their diligent work in contributing to the implementation of the rights of children with disabilities and learning difficulties, in particular Mr. Cristiano Agostini and Mrs. Dhurata Nixha. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 08 PART A: CONTEXT OF STUDY Section I: Rationale of the Study 08 Purpose of the Study 09 B Findings 10 E About the project 12 S Methodology 13 T Section II: Theoretical Overview of Inclusive Education 18 P Definitions 18 R Broader meaning 19 A SEN and Disability 20 C From special to Inclusive Education 21 T Section III: Legal and Policy Framework 24 I Current situation 24 C International standards 27 E S Domestic legislation and policy 28 - I PART B: GOOD PRACTICES IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION n c lu Section IV: Good practices at the legal and policy level 40 si Law on Pre-University Education 40 v e Normative Provisions 41 E Law on Inclusion and Accessibility of PwD 41 d Support to MoES 43 u Section V: Good practices for access to education 46 c a Identification process 46 t i School enrolment 47 o n Training of Assessment Commissions at RED/EO level 48 f Training parents 50 o Improving learning outcomes 51 r C Removing architectural barriers 51 h Monitoring access 52 il Section VI: Good practice for the quality of Inclusive Education 53 d r RED/EO role and RED/EO multidisciplinary commissions 53 e Relevance of categorization 53 n ICF instrument 57 w RED/EO recommendations for school commission 57 i t Supportive teacher 58 h Monitoring child education 59 S p Spreading good practices 60 e Supportive teachers experience exchange 63 c i RED/EO psychosocial service 64 a l RED/EO cooperation with stakeholders 65 E School practices 65 d u Role of school principal 66 c Inclusion of CwD in the learning process 68 a t IEP and school commissions 68 i o Resource rooms 70 n Index for Inclusion 72 a l School psychosocial service 76 N In-service teacher training 77 e Monitoring teachers’ class work 79 e d Teachers work for Inclusive Education 81 s Supportive teacher role in IEP implementation 83 i n Pre-service teacher training 86 A Inclusion in classroom 89 lb Kindergarten practices 90 a Section VII: Good practices of community participation 92 n i Parents’ role 92 a Community services provision 94 School activities 97 Section VIII: Recommendations 99 Bibliography 104 Annexes 106 LIST OF ACRONYMS CBS Community Based Services CBR Community Based Rehabilitation CSO Civil Society Organisation CwD Children with Disability EFA Education for All EMIS Education Management Information Systems EU European Union GoA Government of Albania ICF International Classification of Functionalities and Diseases IE Inclusive Education IEP Individual Education Plan MoES Ministry of Education and Sport MoH Ministry of Health MoI Ministry of Interior MoSWY Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth NGO Non-Governmental Organisations PwD Person with Disabilities RED/EO Regional Education Directories/Education Offices SDG Sustainable Development Goals SP Supportive Teacher UN United Nations UNCRC United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child UNCRPD United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities UNESCO United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation WHO World Health Organisation B E S T P R A C T I C E S - I n c l u s i v e E d u c a t i o n f o r C h i l d r e n w i t h S p e c i a l E d u c a t i o n a l N e e d s i n A l b a n i a EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Albania has made remarkable progress regarding legislation and policies for Inclusive Education and is developing positive practices in cooperation with non-government parties. The primary and secondary legislation is being implemented, and an infrastructure of laws implementation is still being worked out. The Law on Pre-University Education approved in 2012, the Normative Provisions of 2013 and the Strategy of Pre- University Education 2014-2020 compose the policy B framework of Inclusive Education. The law on Accessibility and Inclusion of PwD and National E S Disability and Action Plan 2015-2020 add to the Inclusive Education policy and reinforce the T government commitment to achieving Inclusive Education in mainstream education. However, P R policies and laws implementation is questionable and requires an in-depth analysis. According to A recent data, 30% of children with disabilities of 6-18 years old are out of school. C T I The annual budget allocation to education of CwD is 1.2%. In the target regions of the project, C E namely: Burrel, Peshkopi, Durrës, Elbasan, Korça, Vlora and Gjirokastra, only 15% of CwD that S attend primary school have a supportive teacher and only 6.5% of them have been assessed by - I the RED/EO multidisciplinary commissions1. Schools and kindergartens are inaccessible due to n c infrastructural barriers and lack of didactic materials adapted to their needs. Public institutions at l u s community level lack cooperation which leads to a shortage of rehabilitation services at community i v e level. Public health, social and educational services do not cooperate on institutional basis for a E d multidisciplinary professional assessment of CwD based on bio-psychosocial model. Parents a re u reluctant to expose their children to the community, out of fear of stigma and bullying. c a t i o To contribute to the promotion of Inclusive Education in Albania, during 2014-2017, Save the n f Children has carried out the project “Inclusive Education for children with special educational needs o r in Albania” in cooperation with the local NGO MEDPAK. The project aimed at improving policy and C h practice in Inclusive Education by cooperating with stakeholders that work for education. Owing i ld to project implementation, 28 public educational institutions, in particular 14 kindergartens and r e 14 schools, have been supported to develop Inclusive Education practices. The project developed n w identification, assessment and support mechanisms for inclusive education. A database has been set it up to be used by educational institutions to identify and follow the educational progress of children h with special educational needs. S p e c i The project trained 84 members of RED/EO multidisciplinary commissions on ICF-CY and 577 a l teachers and 132 supportive teachers on inclusive didactics. As a result, 401 CwD have bee n E d included into regular education system and 100% of them have been assessed by RED/EO u c commissions and supported by school commissions through an IEP. A package of instruments for a t i assessing neurodevelopmental problems of 5-10 year old pupils based on international evaluatio n o n standards and IEP model and guidelines are available for RED/EO and school commissions. Mor e a l than 70% of target institutions reconstructed by the project are fully accessible with ramps and N e refurbished interiors. With the support of Bologna University, the Universities of Korça and Elbasan e d have revised their curricula on education and designed a master programme for teachers with a s i minor profile in supportive teacher. The awareness-raising campaigns have reached an audience of n A 7000 children and 4700 parents in six regions. l b a n i a 8 SECTION I: RATIONALE OF THE STUDY Purpose of the study The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the best practices in Inclusive Education, aiming to inform stakeholders on the current status of Inclusive Education in Albania, explore the contextual factors which affect implementation of inclusive practices, and provide recommendations of practical steps for improving Inclusive Education programmes in the country. Inclusive Education is not a short- time programme; it is a process and takes time to be implemented. Inclusive Education is the best alternative for all children, whilst for children with disabilities and learning difficulties it is a necessity. It brings them to the common setting of learning with other children and boosts their academic results, social skills and self-confidence (Save the Children, 2010). In Albania, policies and legislation on Inclusive Education have made significant progress. Currently, Save the Children is investing in policy and legislation implementation by supporting inclusive practices. The local NGO, MEDPAK, has mobilised parents to voice their concerns about children’s schooling in regular schools. This study presents the best practices achieved by the project “Inclusive Education of the children with special educational needs in Albania” financed by the Italian Agency of Cooperation for Development, implemented by Save the Children in partnership with MEDPAK Association and in collaboration with Ministry of Education and Sport during 2014-2017. It explores the good practices in three directions: (i) access of children with special educational needs in regular education; (ii) quality of Inclusive Education in public educational institutions (schools & kindergartens); (iii) participation of community members and local authority in the promotion of inclusive practices in schools and community. Access to education explains the practices established to increase access to regular system, such as: early identification, school registration, school attendance, school retention, reduction of drop-outs and removal of architectural barriers from kindergartens and schools. The practices about the quality of education provide information on: assessment procedures, IEP, support learning at school, teachers professional development, pre-service teacher training, provision of supportive teacher, school self- evaluation on the pillars of index for inclusion, role of special schools and curriculum development. Community participation provides practices on cooperation of schools with stakeholders at community level, such as: parents, local institutions, CSOs and service providers. They inform on community engagement in outreaching public awareness-raising campaigns, community based services that support inclusion, relation to school services, and inclusion in community life. Inclusive practices are developed at school and community level. Policies and legislation on education of children with special educational needs, developed by MoES are under implementation phase. At the local level, cooperation among stakeholders has widened assess of CwD to mainstream education. The new practices in Inclusive Education need to be endorsed and replicated by MoES nationwide. Inclusive Education policies have a solid foundation to lay on the already existing good practices. 9 Summary of findings There is a wealth of good practices in Inclusive Education at different levels of policy and practice. At policy level, Albania has already incorporated international standards on education, including UNCRC and UNCRPD. The international EFA and SDG guidelines guide the country’s policymaking process on education. Furthermore, membership to the Council of Europe and aspiration to join EU has driven the government to adapt legislation and policies with those of European countries. The policy and legislation framework provide a framework for Inclusive Education that paves the path towards inclusion. However, the gap between policies and practice is large enough. B Inclusive Education programme is hampered by shortage of funds. Despite difficulties, efforts for E development of inclusive practices are promising. Progress depends on concerted interventions S T taken by government and local institutions. P Access of CwD to regular education system has increased due to cooperation between schools R and local actors. The identification of CwD is carried out by schools and RED/EO psychosocial A C service that cooperate with municipal agencies, health services, and social service. Schools identify T children with special educational needs when they go to be enrolled for the first time at school. I C Teachers inform the school principal on CwD and the latter sends the documentation to RED/ E S EO Commission for assessment. Information on the number of CwD in the regular education - system is inserted to a database that provides accurate statistics for schools. Access has increased I n by removing architectural barriers of school’s infrastructure: 21 institutions are accessible due to c lu investment on infrastructure. Inclusive practices at pre-primary and primary levels of education s iv contribute to early identification, intervention and access of CwD to regular education syste m. e Inclusion at early childhood increases social adjustment and learning attainment. Parents have E d supported these initiatives. Access to higher post-compulsory education levels remains limited as u c high schools lack professional capacity and experience with IEP. a t i o n Provision of quality education begins with the assessment procedure of the RED/EO f o multidisciplinary commissions. The project has developed the assessment skills of multidisciplinary r C h i l d r Overall Goal: Promoting iclusive education in children e n SEN Indicator 1: increase by 20% w Indicator 2: Reduction of the national rate of i th school drop out of CWDs S p e Specific Objective: CwD inclusion in 6 regions c i Indicator: Increase from 59 to 200 a l E d u c a t Expected Result 3: i on Expected result 1: Expected result 2: communities develop a Improved access Improved quality inclusive cultures & l N practices e e d s in A Indicator 1.1: I6n0d%ic iamtoprro 2v.e1 :a cademic Icnodmicmautonric 3at.1io: n campaign that l increase by 50% results reaches at least 20% of popu- b a Indicator 2.2: CWDs lation n who repeat academic ia ICnWdicDast owr it1h.2 I:E P year will decrease by 50% Indicator 3.2: Indicator 2.3: 70% of schools respond to 20% of increase by 50% university students, in-service complaints on discrimination teachers involved in training & lack of inclusive services 10