Six years on, Spain’s inclusive school plan stalls
Six years after Spain promised an inclusive education plan, it still has not been approved. As the new school year begins, Down España is urging the government in Madrid to sign off the plan and set a timetable for putting it into effect. The federation says the delay leaves pupils with Down syndrome without assured support for a quality education.
The Strategic Plan for Inclusive Education was written into the 2020 LOMLOE education reform. But Down España says the Council of Ministers has yet to approve it, while the promised resources for mainstream schools remain outstanding.
María Oñez, a board member of Down España, said it was unfair when a child with Down syndrome approached a school and was not welcomed in the same way as other children. She said it was time to replace good intentions with firm commitments and action.
Being enrolled is not enough
Inclusive education means every pupil takes part on equal terms and receives the support they need in a mainstream setting, according to Oñez. Simply placing a child with Down syndrome in an ordinary school does not meet that test if they spend most of their time apart from classmates in specialist rooms or other arrangements that restrict participation.
“That is not inclusive education; it is a trick,” Oñez said. She called on education authorities and schools to work together and show real commitment to the changes required.
Down España says the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has repeatedly pressed Spain to move towards an inclusive school system. The committee has regarded the exclusion of disabled pupils from mainstream education as discriminatory.
Campaign puts Víctor at the centre
With pupils returning to class, Down España has launched its campaign, Tengo un compañero con síndrome de Down — I have a classmate with Down syndrome. It features Víctor, a boy with Down syndrome who attends an inclusive school.
Through accounts from his teachers, classmates, family and the association, the campaign aims to show that inclusive education can work and benefit all pupils.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com