Representatives of Norwegian Embassy and UNICEF visit education institutions in Adjara to learn about the progress in improving inclusive and quality education

Marko Soldic, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Norway Embassy to Georgia and Armenia, Amy Clancy, Officer in Charge, UNICEF Representative in Georgia and Maia Khajishvili, Minister of Education, Culture and Sport of Adjara visited education institutions in Adjara to learn about the progress in implementation of the joint project ‘Building Inclusive, Equitable and Quality Pre-school and General Education systems for Children in Georgia’. The project is being implemented by UNICEF in close partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and funded by the Government of Norway.

Launching of inclusive, after school education models in Keda and Kobuleti public schools was among the initiatives supported by this joint project. The initiative aimed at expanding educational opportunities for children with special educational needs and disabilities through supporting the establishment of inclusive education centers and development of extracurricular programmes. Educational opportunities were expanded by:

• Improving spaces for inclusive education centers which were fully renovated and supplied with educational equipment as well as art and developmental resources;
• Development and implementation of extracurricular arts(fine art, textile, ceramics) activities for children;
• Building the skills of teachers and school personnel for effective delivery of inclusive education;
• Parents were provided with practical knowledge on how to support their children in learning process; and
• Local authorities were engaged in conversations on the importance of continuous support to inclusive education practices.

In partnership with National Center for Teacher Professional Development, teachers and educators in pre-school institutions were trained and equipped with educational materials to reach children with diverse learning styles to facilitate learning and development of every child.

UNICEF, in cooperation with Innovations for Inclusive Society, established resource rooms in ten public schools to strengthen the inclusion of children with special needs in education.  As part of the initiative, educational materials, computer equipment and special furniture were handed over to these schools to support functioning of the resource rooms. Teachers and special educators were also trained in the use of the developmental and educational materials considering diverse needs and interests of children. To build a strong culture of parent-teacher cooperation, parents’ clubs were established in the schools. The initiative also leveraged a close cooperation between schools and vocational institutions to support children with disabilities and special educational needs in their successful transition from general to vocational/higher education levels.

Access to inclusive and quality compulsory education is limited for children, especially from the most socially and economically marginalized groups. While the system opens doors to children with special educational needs and disabilities, there is a recognized need for teachers and educational professionals to have enhanced knowledge and support to fully meet the diverse needs of children and facilitate their meaningful participation in the learning process and school activities. Lack of after school programmes is one of the impediments for full inclusion of children with special educational needs and disabilities.