Inclusive Education in Astana, Kazakhstan

The Soros Foundation Kazakhstan and the Open Society Institute Education Support Program hosted a roundtable discussion on inclusive education in Astana.  Heads of regional education departments and teacher training institutes in attendance discussed the possibilities for including children with special education needs in mainstream schools and the obstacles that still exist.  Kazakhstan has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but is still working toward ratification.  Ensuring that education policy and practice are consistent with Article 24 of the Convention is essential.

"Placing all schools under the leadership of the Ministry of Education is a minimum requirement," said Peter Evans, co-author of the OECD's latest report on education policy for children with special education needs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.  This would be the first step in ensuring that all children are part of the education system and an important acknowledgement that there are no uneducable children. Participants expressed caution about the integration of all children with disabilities in mainstream settings, but all agreed that it is possible to do more following the example of a school in northwest Kazakhstan that has been including students with disabilities for more than 10 years with the support of a school director who is, himself, disabled. Modifying the standard architectural plans for schools to ensure access and improving teacher training were two suggestions that participants felt could be implemented quickly.

The roundtable discussion followed a one-day conference organized by the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan and UNICEF, which included presentations on international and regional developments in inclusive education.