EENET Newsletters : Newsletter
8 Contents
Regional News
Regional Networking
EENET encourages and supports the development of other information sharing
networks around the world focusing on inclusive education. We have created a
section
on EENET’s website giving information about national/regional networks.
If you are already involved in information sharing work, or if you feel that
your organisation already has the basic capacity needed to start networking
on inclusive education issues, then we would like to hear from you. EENET may
be able to offer you advice on information sharing/networking, and may be able
to provide basic core documents and materials which would assist you in the
development of your network. But please note, EENET is not a funding
agency, so we cannot support your network financially.
EENET-inspired networks exist in: Latin America (Brazil) and West Africa (Nigeria),
and there are groups of keen individuals trying to start informal networking
in Kenya, Vietnam, South Asia and the Caribbean. If you would like to become
involved in these networks, please contact
EENET.
| Ed Todos, the Brazil-based inclusive education network, has launched
its own Portuguese-language website, offering a wide range of information,
links and discussion forums. See www.edtodos.org.br
or email faleconosco@edtodos.org.br
for more information about Ed Todos. |
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Translations
EENET strives to offer inclusive education documents in other languages. For
example, in partnership with Save the Children UK and Seti Centre in Egypt,
we are able to provide Arabic
translations and promote networking in Arabic-speaking countries. EENET
is run on a very small budget, however, so we cannot afford to pay for translations.
We are dependent on our readers and colleagues in other organisations to help
us with translations. If you or your organisation are able to help EENET translate
this newsletter (or previous newsletters or website articles) into another language,
then we want to hear from you! If you have already translated previous newsletters,
let us know – we may be able to make your translation available to hundreds
more readers in your country or region.
The Right of Children with Disabilities to Education,
Somaliland
The embryonic republic of Somaliland has been trying to overcome
the difficulties left by twelve years of civil war, which led
to the destruction of all educational institutions. However, in
the last eight years public and privately owned schools were opened
in almost all the regions, but children with disabilities have
no room in these mainstream schools, owing to untrained teachers,
unfavourable attitudes, inadequate awareness and, above all, the
lack of an educational policy that takes the rights of children
with disabilities into consideration.
Therefore, Disability Action Network (DAN), whose overall goal
is to promote the well-being of people with disabilities, started
to work closely with the Ministry of Education MoE) in order to
create an educational environment that is receptive and conducive
to disabled children. DAN has invited headmasters and primary
school teachers from twelve schools in the capital, parents of
children with disabilities, and officials from the MoE to workshops
which focused on:
Since 1997, DAN has been engaged in awareness-raising campaigns
about the rights of children with disabilities, including the
right to education, through the mass media, publishing pamphlets
and organising events on the Day of the African Child, and the
International Day for Disabled Persons. Although much has been
altered in the practice and behaviour towards children with disabilities
at the mainstream schools, the work done by DAN can only be regarded
as a starting point. There is still an acute need for: the disability
components to be included in the national education system; affirmative
action on the rights of children with disabilities to education;
and the enactment of anti discriminatory laws.
Jama Mohamed Askar and Abdikarim Mohamoud Sh. Muse of DAN are
based in Hargeisa, Somaliland, and can be emailed by at: dansomland@hotmail.com
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EENET Newsletters : Newsletter
8 Contents
10/09/2004
