SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 4 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports of the Canary Islands Government is enhancing its dedication to inclusion and diversity with the release of two resolutions outlining measures for the academic year 2024/2025. These measures are aimed at promoting care for students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and reorganising the educational and psychopedagogical support teams (EOEP).
Specifically, the first of the two documents presents a list of educational institutions that will, in the forthcoming academic year, participate in the Inclusion Project for students with autism spectrum disorder, increasing the number from 32 to 41 (an addition of nine).
The selected students were identified based on two primary criteria: the number of students with ASD and the absence of similar resources in their respective areas.
In line with this, the Ministry will provide the teaching staff with targeted training, along with additional human resources and opportunities to engage in various projects overseen by the General Directorate of Education Management, Inclusion and Innovation, which is led by David Pablos.
Concerning the educational and psychopedagogical support teams, specific guidelines have been issued for this academic year that emphasise prioritising the needs of students with special educational needs (SEN) within regular classrooms.
This entails guaranteeing the complete inclusion of these students, exploring all possibilities for them to remain within their designated educational stages, particularly in the early years, barring exceptional and justifiable cases in which alternative schooling options may be considered, as noted by the Ministry.
There will also be an increased review of proposals for the schooling of students in Enclave Classrooms and special education centres (CEE), always favouring the most inclusive options to promote their development and integration within the educational community.
Furthermore, as part of the primary lines of action for the EOEP, the creation, execution, and assessment of the Socialisation Plan for students in Enclave Classrooms is included. The aim of this plan is to ensure the effective inclusion of students with specific needs in the centre’s activities and regular classrooms, fostering their active participation in school life.
Through these initiatives, the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports aligns itself with the recommendations of the European Agency for Special Needs Education and Inclusion in Education, endorsing inclusive and integrative educational policies and practices that ensure students receive the necessary support to achieve their full potential in an inclusive and equitable environment.
