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Raifeissen Bank - Uverturii
Official statement
Bucharest, May 6 2014. On March 31 2014 the draft law on the rights of the children with disabilities promoted by the European Center for the Rights of Children with Disabilities (CEDCD) and the Coalition One Voice for Disability (OSVD) was introduced in the Romanian Parliament with 29 initiators from all political parties.
In the context of an aggressive and tendentious campaign against CEDCD and OSVD Coalition, campaign initiated by representatives of the special psycho-pedagogy sector and manifested through local media, official complaints, reports, threatening letters, verbal and telephonic threats, we feel it’s our moral duty to clarify the issues distorted by our detractors.
The main false accusation made by representatives of the special education system addresses the so-called termination of the special schools for disabled children. This accusation is disseminated as a slogan and it’s not at all based on the provisions included in the above mentioned draft law. In this context, we present the correct scheme of the education roadmap of the children with disabilities, as it is included in the draft law.
The presentation of our legal amendments in a distorted and aggravating manner, reflect either the fact that they did not consult the proposed draft law or they are simply being malicious.
Also, we would like to state that in no way the bill will be silently ratified; this information is nothing but instigation. The bill is now in the consultation phase, in the Romanian Senate, as the legal process requires.
Actually, we believe that at the root of the anxiety manifested by the representatives of the special education sector lie other amendments included in the motioned bill:
Monitoring and evaluation of the activities and personnel working in all intervention institutions for disabled children will be performed three times a year by a commission that will include 1 representative of the civil society.
Evaluation of the activity and personnel working or teaching disabled children will be based on the individual evolution and the academic achievements of each child.
The NGOs active in the disability domain have the right to undergo monitoring programs in early intervention centers, inclusive schools, ability schools, nonformal educational units as well as in any other academic institution that works with disabled children.
The psychological evaluation of all teachers working with disabled children becomes mandatory and will be performed by independent authorized specialists.
The subordination of Early Intervention Centers to the General Direction for Social Assistance and Child Protection (GDSACP), case in which the teachers in employed in special schools will not receive any bonus for working with disabled children. Actually this fact is not approached by the draft; it will be subject up or negotiation when the methodology norms will come into discussion.
All these points are directly linked to the quality of the educational process and the obligation to provide high standard services. The establishment of a monitoring and evaluation system will force all employees in the special psycho-pedagogy sector to perform at higher standards and to achieve actual results.
Currently, the education system for disabled children has results only on paper: there are thousands of non-verbal, paraplegic or that cannot function independently that graduate from gymnasium with highest grades at subjects as Chemistry, Sport, Algebra, Literature etc.
For the pre-school phase, parents have no other option for treatment and recovery of the disabled children, but in the private sector, where the monthly costs can sum up to 4000lei (app. 1000 Euros).
