Today, the Pedagogical University Faculty of Special Education hosted guests from the UN Armenian office within the scope of the meetings initiated by the ASPU Centre for Cooperation between the University and Employers from different sectors; among the guests were the Head of the UNICEF Communications Project Leader Ms. Zara Sargsyan, Head of Education Programmes Ms.Mery Poghosyan, and the Representative of the International Centre for Children’s Development Ms. Narine Vardanyan.
The aim of the meeting was to introduce with the activities of the only academic faculty in Armenia preparing special pedagogues, together with its lecturers and students, as well as to assist students in searching for employment and the process of professional progress.
The ASPU Vice-Rector for Personnel and International Cooperation Mr. Ara Yeremyan spoke about the implementation of inclusive education in Armenia mentioning that even despite the difficulties, due to the correct activities it became possible to modernize and conduct serious work in that direction at various educational institutions.
What is more, the Vice-Rector assured that there was a huge demand of special professionals in the labour market, thus, in a number of different international organizations and institutions the cooperation was in the core of faculties and universities.
Likewise, the Head of the Development Programmes and Monitoring Department Ms.Ritta Gevorgyan assured that such meetings would set basis for new cooperation aimed at obstacles existing in the sphere as well as identification of abilities and objectives by the employers.
The Dean of the Faculty of Special Education Ms.Arminei Avagyan in her turn referred to inclusive education as a component of the ASPU presenting the activities aimed at preparation of competent pedagogues and steps taken in the direction of inclusive education at the University.
Discussions, open-criticism lessons, lectures, flash mobs, films presentations, yellow lines on the stairs of the University’s academic building and other initiatives and arrangements undertaken and conducted by the Faculty of Special Education in order to create equal conditions in the society for persons with special needs.
A movie telling about the founders of inclusive education followed by the analysis of the UNICEF education projects; Project Leader Mery Poghosyan introduced the steps of executing inclusive education in Armenia, the arrangements to be made emphasizing that 18 per cent of disabled people still do not attend schools. “There are several thousands of persons and lives behind these figures”.
Furthermore, the representative of the International Centre for Children’s Development Ms. Narinei Vardanyan first of all introduced the aims and operations of the Centre after which explained about the experimental project for persons with autism implemented in 2008 and assured, “The key to the inclusive society is the educational system; and the inclusive education is a right”.
And last but not least, a question and answer session, discussions and suggestions were made for the students and field specialists by the Dean of the Faculty of Special Education Ms. Arminei Avagyan; defining special pedagogues on the position of Assistant to the Teacher at schools providing inclusive education, as well as setting connections with the regional schools through the UNICEF Office in order to provide specialists from the list of the graduates of the Faculty of Special Education.
