In Cyprus, more than 13,000 pupils are enrolled in Special Education, according to figures reported today before the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee. The Committee session examined the right of children to equal learning opportunities and the early diagnosis of learning difficulties (dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD).
Specifically, according to representatives of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (MECS), a total of 13,345 pupils in primary and secondary education are enrolled in Special Education. In detail, there are 7,500 children in Primary Education (of which 340 have been diagnosed with learning difficulties and 325 with ADHD) and 5,845 in Secondary Education (of which 947 with learning difficulties and 422 with ADHD).
The committee was attended by mothers of children with learning difficulties, who presented their own experiences before the MPs. Roula Demetriou, mother of a child with dyslexia, said that in public school she encountered ignorance and disdain because the teachers were not qualified, so she turned to private education. "I also struggled in private school for my daughter,"
In addition, Demetriou noted that the laws of the Ministry of Education and Science are incomplete. "We need to speed up the evaluation process. Teachers should be trained to teach using multisensory methods," she added, suggesting that dyslexic students should be given a premium in the Pancyprian Examinations in order to enter universities.
For her part, Tonia Stavrinou, mother of a boy with dyslexia, focused on the need for early assessment and diagnosis, which should be done from the beginning of children's attendance at primary school. She also referred to the ignorance and prejudice of teachers, giving as an example the experiences of her son.
Marina Georgiou[/B], on behalf of the Association of Parents of Children with ADHD, said that children with ADHD and learning difficulties have reduced hours of attendance at special units. "The system rejects these children, pushing them into delinquency," he said.
In the Special Committee's decision to evaluate a child, the annex should be completed for exceptions and adaptations and experts should be involved, he added.
The president of the PDED, Myria Vasileiou, said that after the diagnosis there should be structures as well as continuous training for teachers. "The logistical infrastructure must be adapted," she noted, referring to lengthy procedures in the provision of reinforcing educational materials and individualized equipment.
She also said that there are shortcomings in the training of children with learning difficulties and that the teacher must have time to provide individualized instruction to the child. The school chaperone can act as a second teacher in the classroom, he said.
In his intervention, the President of OELMEK, Kostas Hadjisavvas, acknowledged the need for teacher training and stressed that some facilities are provided for children in examinations and tests, along with the existence of the DRASE programme.
He also spoke of delays in the early identification of difficulties and decision making by the Special Committees. "If there is no parental consent, the child cannot be evaluated by a special educational psychologist," he said, adding that "many issues have been perpetuated for years, hence the problems."
The President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, Irini Charalambidou, said it is unthinkable to hear children giving up on their future, on their lives because they are frustrated and feel powerless to fight it, because the state does not give them the necessary tools in education.
"We heard shocking testimonies today from mothers who have exaggerated themselves in order to give their children a chance," said the AKEL MP, adding that "children are being labeled in schools. They are called lazy, they receive ironies" because they have not been diagnosed, as a result of which they lose their self-confidence. "The state does not have the necessary system for early diagnosis in pre-primary education," she said."
Charalambidou noted that since 2011, as part of the parliamentary scrutiny, she has been asking questions on this issue. "In 2019, I was given promises of regulations and legislation that have not yet come to Parliament in 2022," she said, referring to the Ministry of Child Protection.
In addition, she referred to four reports by the Commissioner for Children's Rights, whose recommendations have not yet been adopted by the Ministry, which has not responded to her observations for a year, she said. "The issue of learning problems is directly linked to the issue of delinquency," he concluded.
DISY MP, Rita Theodorou Superman, said that children with learning difficulties make up 11% of pupils in primary education and 24% of pupils in secondary education, adding that these children are not treated equally because the education system does not apply equally to each child according to his or her own needs.
Superman spoke of steps for improvement that have been taken, but they are "happening too slowly," which is to the detriment of children. "Children with learning difficulties are being victimised at the altar of bureaucracy, the complexity of the mechanisms, the fire-fighting solutions given and the anachronistic systems," she suggested, noting that every educational psychologist has 2.700 children under his/her responsibility.
Asked about the type of difficulties faced by students, she referred to discrimination suffered by both the system and other children, adding that there are not enough special teachers and chaperones. She added that the transfers of special teachers make it difficult to do the work with the children, who will have to be re-trusted to another teacher.
Ecologist MP, Alexandra Attalidou, said that it is important to have a roadmap for children with learning difficulties, so that they can get the necessary psychological, educational or technical support without exclusion and marginalisation.
"The state should adopt good practices that have been adopted by other states. There should finally be a database where all issues concerning learning difficulties should be recorded, so that they can be studied both by academics and by the organisations of the people concerned," Attalidou continued.
Source: CNA
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