ENU hosted expert discussions on inclusive education development
The Eurasian National University hosted a round table "Open Conversation: Proposals for the Development of Inclusive Education and a New Format Training".
The purpose of the event was to study the international movement "Sails of the Spirit" and its impact on the development of inclusive yachting, as well as to discuss ways to integrate best practices and innovative approaches to promote inclusive education and training of a new format. The round table was also held in an online format.
The event was attended by ENU Vice-Rector for Social and Cultural Development Lyazzat Tolegenkyzy, deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Asem Rakhmetova, Director of the ENU Higher School of Education Baubek Somzhurek, heads of the international movement "Sails of the Spirit" Oleg Kalpashchikov and Viktor Klokov, head of the sector of social and humanitarian sciences of the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty Maksat Baibekov, as well as university faculty and students.
"This event is of great importance not only for our university. There is a great movement in the country to support people with disabilities and develop inclusive education. At our university, there are over 170 students with various categories of disabilities. ENU has had its Center for Inclusive Support for a second year already. We invited social workers, psychologists, speech pathologists, rehabilitation specialists," Vice-Rector Lyazzat Tolegenkyzy said.
Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Asem Rakhmetova stressed that citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan with special needs should not only enjoy benefits, but also have the opportunity to actively participate in society.
"On an ongoing basis, work is underway to protect children with special educational needs, standards in this area are being updated, taking into account the specifics of the regions.
On October 23, 2023, the Inclusion Council was established in the Senate. By presidential decree last year, an independent institution of the Commissioner for the rights of socially vulnerable categories of people was established. The concept of an inclusive policy is being developed," the speaker said.
The head of the international movement "Sails of the Spirit" Oleg Kalpashchikov told in detail about the international movement "Sails of the Spirit".:
"The main target audience of the Sails of the Spirit project is not people with disabilities, but those who interact with people with disabilities and, thanks to this, reveal hidden talents and abilities. For us, inclusion is about interaction. It is important for us to develop such inclusive events, where we create a scenario through which people with disabilities are not just customers, they have a positive impact on people without disabilities," Oleg Kalpashchikov emphasized.
During the round table, the issues of personnel training in a new format and the future prospects of inclusive education were discussed.