Government accused of delaying special education reform

The House education committee on Wednesday met with members of disability organisations to discuss new legislation for special education, harshly criticising the government over its alleged inaction.

“We need political will, not only from the executive branch, but also from the political parties and the House of Representatives, which is jointly responsible, to try to find the money we need, the investment of billions, to achieve our goal,” committee chairman and Diko MP Pavlos Mylonas said.

Mylonas said that the education ministry was expected to move ahead with the necessary amendments, which had been meticulously reviewed at the education committee, but emphasised that gauging their implementation required time.

“Public schools are for all children, they need investment and millions, and so-called inclusive education cannot be implemented tomorrow,” he said.

Mylonas called for strategic planning and political will to demonstrate the necessary commitment.

“All of this needs to be put on the table, discussed and the political leadership needs to decide to invest billions over a period of time, which they will decide, so that these children who can and want to can also live with dignity within the school units.”

Akel MP Andreas Kafkalias criticised the existing legislation, as well as the overall education system, saying it did not provide adequate support for disabled students.

“Commitments made by both the previous and current governments to introduce new legislation have not been fulfilled. Today we heard about new development procedures and new promises, but no specific timetables for changes to the legislation,” he said.

He accused the government and the education ministry of “not doing their job” and said that the delay in legislative changes had led to the exacerbation of related problems, including overcrowding and the question of continuing education for disabled students over the age of 21.

“Our understanding and conclusion is that, in practice, it is evident that persons with disabilities and their education are not among the government’s priorities,” he said.

Dipa MP Alekos Tryfonidis expressed similar criticism towards the government and the ministry.

“The president himself, and the minister, is handling this extremely sensitive issue with unacceptable procrastination,” he said.

He added that the reform on the legislation for special education had been pending before the Parliament for over a year, with the committee having been informed on Wednesday that consultations on the matter were in the process of being launched.

“This completely contradicts what the ministry had assured us until now, namely that consultations were already underway last year, alongside other related bills,” Tryfonidis said.

He appealed to the education ministry, requesting that consultations be accelerated within the next 15 days to allow for the immediate submission of the bill.

Tryfonidis said that his party had previously proposed plans for banks to allocate parts of their profits to the funding of special education infrastructure and disability support initiatives with an initial payment of €50 million, appealing to their social responsibility.

“Because after the children reach adulthood, and especially after the death or terminal illness of their parents, many people with disabilities end up without support, without help, in nursing homes and on the margins of society,” he said.

Meanwhile, head of the ADHD association Marina Georgiou expressed her concern over current evaluation methods for special education.

According to Georgiou, the committees responsible for the evaluation of children were not in direct contact with the children themselves but relied on teacher reports.

Cyprus confederation of disability organisations (Kysoa) chairwoman, Themis Anthopoulou, said that legal reforms had been awaited for years, with President Nikos Christodoulides having confirmed his commitment to the matter pre-election.

“Instead, the Ministry of Education intends to proceed with amendments to the existing framework, starting with divisions, as there is legislation for children who do not have chronic illnesses, learning difficulties, or disabilities, and special education for all other children,” she said.

According to Anthopoulou, a meeting had been arranged for Christodoulides and Education Minister Athena Michaelidou to allow children with disabilities to express their views.

“If the position of the children is not submitted, Kysoa cannot proceed with any amendments to the law on special education and training,” she said.