Transforming the inclusive education values into the actions of the educational process from the perspective of the Index of Inclusion

Aligning national social policies with international standards also means involving the promotion of inclusive educational practices. These practices must be mirrored by a legal framework that ensures the right to education for all, regardless of necessities or age. In this context, and in order to contribute to the implementation of inclusive education in Moldova, one of the objectives we propose aims to strengthen teachers’ capacities in inclusive education.

Thus, on January 17, 2018, the APSCF organized the workshop “Transforming the inclusive education values into the actions of the educational process from the perspective of the Index of Inclusion”, with the participation of the representatives of universities and faculties with a pedagogical profile in Moldova. The workshop was opened by Liliana Rotaru, President of the APSCF, who provided details about the values and activities of the alliance. The session was continued by Carolina Buzdugan, Secretary General of the APSCF, with a presentation of the project and Alliance’s objectives in implementing inclusive education. For their part, the representatives of the universities detailed their expectations regarding the teacher training mechanisms and the conceptual framework of inclusive education. 

During the event, was presented the structure of the Index for inclusive schools, developed by Tony Booth and Mel Ainscow, to promote the education and participation of all children in mainstream education. The Index is a support material that gives schools the opportunity to self-evaluation and record progress in the process of approaching the ideal of the “school for all”.

Viorica Cojocaru, the coordinator of the inclusive education program of CCF Moldova, explained the usefulness of the Index and how it can determine the compliance level of schools, environment or learning with the practices and inclusive values. Through the awareness evaluation of the need for inclusion training by all actors involved in the educational process, the Index contributes to improving practices in educational institutions in a way to promote inclusive education.

It was then discussed the possibilities of integrating inclusive education content into all formation and training courses of future teachers in order to prepare them for the application of modern didactic techniques that ensure an inclusive educational process. To this purpose, and as a result of the workshop, the representatives of the “Ion Creanga” State Pedagogical University proposed the signing of a collaboration agreement between APSCF and the Faculty of Psychology and Special Psycho-pedagogy.

The workshop was organized as part of the project „The civil society education fund 2016-2018 in Moldova” funded by the Global Campaign for Education through the Arab Campaign for Education for All.