Regional News
From the Middle East and North Africa
Save the Children (SC-UK) is using three approaches to promote inclusion in co-operation with UNESCO and local partners:
National conferences:
A regional conference and two national conferences have been held in Syria and Egypt, and more are planned for Morocco and Lebanon.
Translation and dissemination of materials:
Decision makers, administrators, educators, parents and children need information about inclusion. We are planning the construction of an Arabic language section on EENET’s web site.
Pilot projects:
In order to demonstrate effective methods of combating exclusion at the school and community level. Our initiatives for children with disabilities, are rooted firmly in ongoing or developing CBR programmes. However we aim to demonstrate that inclusion is a strategy that increases participation and learning for all children.
JRA Williams, Early Childhood, Care and Development (ECCD) and Education Advisor SC-UK Middle East and North Africa Region
j.williams@scuk-mena.com
From the UK
The Index for Inclusion, written by Tony Booth and Mel Ainscow and published by the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE), has been translated into a number of other languages. Anyone interested in these translations or in contacting the people undertaking those translations in various countries should contact Mark Vaughan.
The different languages include: Norwegian, Finnish, German, Spanish (managed by UNESCO in Chile for 18+ countries), Spanish for Spain. Translations soon to be completed: Arabic (Egypt & Syria), Chinese (Hong Kong) Hungarian, Maltese. Versions of the index are also being used in Australia, Romania, Portugal, South Africa, India, Quebec and Montreal.
Inclusion Week, November 11-15, 2002
There is to be an Inclusion Week held across the whole of the UK in November 2002 with the invitation to all overseas countries to join in and arrange events at the same time which promote inclusion. The themes of the week are ‘Breaking down barriers to learning and participation’, and ‘Developing and celebrating inclusion’. Inclusion week is being organised by the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE) as part of its 20th anniversary. The event is open for anyone to take part in, if they support inclusion as an essential part of building a better and more just society. CSIE hopes the week will encourage guarantees of support for developing inclusive education in schools and elsewhere.
Mark Vaughan, CSIE
Tel : 0044 (0)117 344 4007
mark@markvaughan.demon.co.uk
www.InclusionWeek.net
From Latin America
“Learning to include and including to learn” was the slogan for Latin America’s First Congress on Inclusive Education. This lively and practical congress was held in Joao Pessoa, North-East Brazil, December 8-13 2002. It was organised by Ed Todos, a newly formed Brazilian non-governmental organisation which supports and promotes education for all children (see Enabling Education Issue 5).
EdTodos was supported by students from the Federal University of Paraiba who could easily be seen in their “Inclusive Education is a Human Rights Issue” ‘T’ shirts.
“Learning to include and including to learn”
Participants came from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Guyana, Cayman Islands, Portugal, UK, and from all over Brazil. The aim was to promote the sharing of experience about inclusion and exclusion with a major focus on the Latin American region, and to launch a regional network, linked to EENET and EdTodos. Race, gender, ethnicity and disability were the main issues of exclusion discussed during the week. A journal entitled ‘International Perspectives in Inclusive Education’ was launched at the congress.
Windyz Ferreira
edtodos@hotmail.com
www.edtodos.org.br