Today, the teaching-professorial team and the students of the Faculty of Special Education of the Pedagogical University participated in an interactive (on-line) conference arranged
by the Moscow Institute of Corrective Pedagogy of the Russian Federation Education Academy.
Various representatives of the Faculties of Special Education form a number of state universities of Moscow, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and other areas participated in this conference arranged to discuss the contemporary issues in the field of special education.
On the on-line domain the special pedagogues referred to the system of inclusive education, introduced and discussed the lacks and problems in the field.
In his turn, the Head of the Department of Special Pedagogy and Psychology of the Faculty of Special Education Robert Azaryan introduced the Faculty to his foreign friends, spoke about its structure and the available specializations.
In addition, the latter also mentioned that the Pedagogical University Faculty of Special Education prepares specialists of oligophrenopedagogy, the deaf-and-dumb pedagogy, pedagogy for the blind, logopaedics, special pre-school pedagogues, and special psychologists; besides, it is the only educational establishment in the region that prepares ergotherapists.
In their turn, the Russian counterparts mentioned that in the near future they would also start using the Pedagogical University experience and would include the specialization in ergotherapy in their curricula.
What is more, in her report the Dean of the Faculty, Armenouhi Avagyan referred to the development of special education in Armenia, its current state, secondary establishments providing inclusive education.
“Unfortunately, today, the concept of inclusive education is also misperceived; the common opinion that a child with special educational needs is unhealthy, helpless, is unable to study at public secondary schools continues to predominate. Some parents still hesitate to see a child with special educational needs next to their children, no assessment principles for children with special educational needs have been developed yet, and the majority of school buildings are not adapted to these children’s needs,” Armenouhi Avagyan entioned.
Moreover, she also highlighted that dynamic educational reform activities were being realized in the country which also contribute to the development of schools providing inclusive education, involvement of children with special educational needs, creation of a protected environment.
And last but not least, all academic plans in all of the faculties of the Pedagogical University are replenished with the corresponding subject on inclusive education taught both at BA and MA courses.
