Moldova Funds Early Inclusion for Disabled Kids
The Ministry of Education and Research in Moldova plans to introduce a funding formula in the coming weeks to support the inclusion of children with disabilities in preschools nationwide.
“There is a long-standing issue in this area: children with disabilities in Moldova are only included in education from primary school onwards,” said Minister Dan Perciun. “The new funding formula we will propose aims to address this gap and ensure funding for the inclusion of these children in kindergartens.”
Schools will also benefit from improved inclusion measures thanks to a UNICEF project. Educational institutions will be provided with assistive devices to support children with visual impairments, hearing difficulties, or mental disabilities. These devices have been lacking in Moldovan schools previously.
“UNICEF is providing educational institutions with assistive devices to prioritise the needs of children with severe disabilities, particularly those with visual and hearing impairments,” Minister Perciun explained. “We will also provide some devices for children with mental disabilities. This initiative will be a first for the Moldovan education system. It will establish a more coherent system that ensures every child with a visual impairment, whether complete or partial, and every child with hearing loss, benefits from technology that aids their inclusion process. Additionally, we will implement a mechanism for these devices to circulate between schools based on need, which will be another first for the system.”
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, people with disabilities represent 6.5% of the total population of Moldova, or over 162,000 people. Of these, approximately 11,000 are children between the ages of 0 and 17.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
