More than 80% of school group (AE) and non-group school principals (ENA) say they do not have the necessary resources for a “truly inclusive education”, reveals a survey by Fenprof published this Monday.
The collection of information carried out by the National Federation of Teachers concerns “the situation in AE and ENA in 2023/2024”, based on “data from all districts of the continent, involving 112,187 students, 12,157 teachers and 5,266 operational assistants.”
The sample corresponds to 10% of school groups and ungrouped schools on the continent, and the relevant principals were asked to give their views on the four years of implementation of Decree-Law No. 54/2018 on inclusive education, according to the federation’s website.
According to the results of a survey conducted in the 1st period of the current school year, 73% of AE/ENA directors state that the number of special education teachers is insufficient, and 78% believe that the same is happening with operational assistants and 85% with specialized technical specialists.
Regarding these technicians, there is a shortage of speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists, and for operational assistants it is also noted that “only 6% have special training to work with students using selective and/or additional measures” .
Fenprof’s document states that “students with selective and supplemental interventions account for approximately 8% of the total student population and approximately 3.5% are classified as students with only indirect support from the special education teacher.”
The teachers’ union also questioned school management over their autonomy to make decisions on some issues such as class composition, pointing out that the study found that “about 20% of classes are now illegally formed, meaning they have more than two students.” . with NE (special needs) and/or more than 20 students per class.”
In addition to the lack of human resources, several AE/ENA directors interviewed pointed to a lack of material resources, equipment and infrastructure, as well as the wide variety and specificity of cases, as reasons for the lack of “truly inclusive education”.
Reaffirming “the importance of a truly inclusive education for any child or young person, regardless of their individual characteristics and capabilities”, Fenprof believes that the survey results show that the issue has not been addressed by legislation adopted in 2018, calling on the Ministry of Education to assess its implementation on the ground .
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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