DISABLED CHILDREN IN FOCUS
1,500 disabled children attend special schools in Armenia. This figure, however, doesn’t reflect the real number of disabled children in the republic.
The children who need special teaching make 5 to 6 percent of total number of Armenia’s schoolchildren.
In European countries they are ranging between 11 and 13 percent.
One of the biggest problems in that area is funding. There are 52 special schools in Armenia. The government is not able to provide they with due conditions to ensure their normal functioning.
There are also gifted children among those in need of special approach.
Besides, the system is divided into special teaching for children with eye and ear defects, with spinal and mental disabilities as well as orphaned and abandoned children.
The disabled have right to attend schools for ordinary children, but there is not a single school in the republic with special facilities to enable children with spinal problems to move from place to place.
Arakelutyun Arevelk (Mission East) organization functioning in Armenia since 1992 helped the government in this problem solution. Special teaching new criteria were set and applied in 10 special schools this year.
