Inclusive Education in Montenegro Belgrade, December 2011

BASIS IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION STRATEGY: Leading principle is quality and accessible education for all children and young people with special education needs according to their interests, abilities and needs. STRATEGY ORIENTATION: Education is not merely a process of adopting academic knowledge, but a process through which everyday skills and knowledge are gained for the purpose of proactive inclusion in community where they live.

Law on education of children with special educational needs Applies the principle that education is process in which everyday skills and knowledge are gained for the purpose of proactive inclusion in community where they live. Resource center provides educational services for the children with severe and combined disabilities, also as counseling and expert support for the concrete disability, mainstream teachers’ trainings etc. All institutions are obliged to provide adequate educational technologies, as additional means and ways to encourage communication. Daily Care Centers - are social services for the rehabilitation and support for the children with middle and severe disabilities on local level – and they CAN perform educational work in which everyday skills and knowledge are gained. Schools are obliged to enable participation of “teaching assistance” – as support for the child during the teaching, as a rule, as a volunteer.

IPA 2010 IPA 2010, Ministry of Education and Sports are involved in Project “Social Welfare and Child Care System Reform: Enhancing Social Inclusion” In component 1 – Inclusive education - process of transformation of Special schools into the resource centers is planed. Resource centers will be responsible for the concrete disability, providing educational, expert, counseling support, mainstream teachers’ trainings, etc. Condition for the children integration will be advanced: development of a detailed plan for a SEN pupils examination process; Development of examination catalogues (including guidelines for development of tests according to standards); Development of assessment items data base (collection of questions/tasks); Development of assessment of students’ school improvements through personalized tests.

Supporting network for the Inclusive Education Commissions’ members are trained. Working instrument done, printed Manual for the members work. Stuff from the developmental centers, centers for social work, daily care center are trained. In this moment: trainings for the schools in which we have special classes. Promotion of pupils rights in those shools. Promoter – person with disability. Development of operative procedures of intersectoral cooperation to support social inclusion.

Support for the inclusive vocational education (1) Starting point: „Strategy of Development of Vocational Education in Montenegro “, “Inclusive Education Strategy”, Mapping Policies and Practices for the Preparation of Teachers for Inclusive Education in Contexts of Social and Cultural Diversity, Country Report for Montenegro, (SCIENTER, Centre for Education Policy, ETF). Recommendation based on the ETF research findings are realetd to this : A solution for teachers in vocational education needs to be found. A systematic approach should be applied. Possible solutions could be sought through the development of in-service programmes.

Support for the inclusive vocational education(2) Needs for the Project – social inclusion of pupils with developmental disabilities is in the focus in future period. Those pupils must be provided support and must be developed potentials and abilities related to their better social integration. Vocational education inclusion is a new issue, and teachers and stuff are not adequately prepared for working with those pupils. There is a luck of basic knowledge about inclusive education process, abilities of pupils with disabilities, working skills, assessment skills, intervention skills according to the success in labor market. Short Project description: Austrian and Montenegrin experts, developing concept of trainings (3 modules per 3 days) and implement them as a pilot program. From training’ materials and pilot process experience has to be developed Manual and guidelines for the vocational education inclusion. From the trainings’ participants would be selected 2-4 additional trainers. It is planed for those person to disseminate supervised trainings for new groups of project participants. Project partners: Ministry of Education and Sports, Center for Vocation Education, vocational schools.

Support for the inclusive vocational education (3) Result 1 – Trainings for working with pupils with disabilities in vocational schools exists in version that are proofed in practice. Result 2 – Participants from 7 pilot school though 3 modules are got knowledge needed for the inclusive work. Result 3 – Manual for the vocational education inclusion exist. Result 4 – New trainers are selected from the participants. Result 5 – Based on international experience stakeholders work on Strategy for the implementation of vocational education inclusion.