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The candidates in the elections suggested advancing pre-school education, linking it with the right to benefit per child, calling for class reductions or a change in the financing model for education support professionals. However, how much would it cost and what steps should be taken first, the discussion participants did not mention.
Regimantas Čiupaila, representative of “Libertad y Justicia” in the elections, assured that the problem of inclusion is universal and relevant not only when it comes to children with special needs. According to the applicant, she is first in the family and then transferred to a preschool and general education school.
“Here are my problems, starting with the psychological, that the environment does not necessarily want to accept this phenomenon, […] and strengthening psychological help at school is probably the first task in this place, ”said R. Čiupaila.
Photo by Luke April / 15min / Community Discussion on Education
Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, a member of the Union of the Homeland-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), explained that children, especially from socially sensitive families, need to find adapted infrastructure and the necessary specialists in schools.
And they, according to politicians, have too much workload, they lack specialists
“We, as the Homeland Union political party, think this is first and foremost a matter of reward. […] It is located on the shoulders of the municipality. We believe that it would be convenient, we see it as a priority, that this funding is not the responsibility of the municipality, but of the center, the ministry, ”suggested R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė.
The candidate in the elections also explained that special educators lack opportunities for improvement and seminars.
“It is equally possible to speak of teacher training. There are not enough of those programs, “he added.
According to R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, TS-LKD is in favor of earlier preschool education; it is important that children from socially sensitive families enter education earlier, which would reduce exclusion.
Photo by Lukas Balandis / 15min / Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė
Vilija Targamadze, who is going to the Seimas elections with the Social Democrats, said that the definitions of inclusive education and education of children with special needs are mixed.
“Inclusive education is about differentiation and individualization,” he said.
According to the candidate, children, including children with special needs, must be integrated, but must be prepared for it.
“It just came to our knowledge then. Because today there is a very large workload for teachers and they are not yet ready to work with inclusive education and understand it,” said V. Targamadze.
Today, teachers have a very heavy workload and are not yet ready to work on and understand inclusive education.
He agreed that the financing model for education support professionals must change: “The municipalities have lost funding. Municipalities cannot finance this. The basket must be reviewed so that the money can fall into the basket and the schools can fend for themselves. “
Photo by Luke April / 15min / Community Discussion on Education
Aušra Papirtienė, a member of the Lithuanian Union of Peasants and Greens, said she spoke from experience and said that creating an inclusive school was not easy.
“Will all Lithuanian schools become inclusive in 2024? I would like that very much,” he hoped, but at the same time mentioned who he still needed to work with.
According to the candidate, teachers are afraid of children with intellectual disabilities or intellectual disabilities.
“We are always afraid of what we do not know, so we must start with the training of teachers, pedagogues, retraining and improvement of inclusive education skills,” said A. Papirtienė.
We should start with the training of teachers and educators.
To better educate children, first of all, according to Vytautas Mitalas, representative of the Freedom Party in the elections, education specialists should concentrate in separate centers.
Photo by Luke April / 15min / Community Discussion on Education
“Education professionals are quite scattered, which would require the state’s attention towards a good 21st century. Concentrating the science of Lithuanian education with the help of universities in special and separate centers. […] This would provide much better training for teachers and education support specialists, ”said V. Mitalas.
Attention, according to him, is also necessary for educational assistance for the salaries of specialists.
“Without commitment, financing of education support professionals should be included in the scope of public funding, and there should be no room for the interpretation that the coefficient is different in different places,” said the candidate in the election.
The representative of the Liberal Movement Nijolė Putrienė, as a member of the TS-LKD, hinted at the desire to promote preschool education, make it compulsory, albeit in connection with the child’s money.
Photo by Luke April / 15min / Community Discussion on Education
“We have included a point in our program that may seem illiberal. We say that children’s pre-school education should be compulsory in the sense that if you want to get money from a child, the child must go to an educational institution, ”said the politician.
She seconded the previous speakers due to the lack of specialists.
“At the moment, we really don’t have enough helping professionals. They may be enough in larger cities, but small municipalities fail to attract them. This is natural, it responds to salaries and other conditions that are important for specialists ”, said N.Putrienė.
Edita Tamošiūnaitė, representative of the Union of Christian Families of the Lithuanian Polish Election Campaign in the Seimas elections, assured that private schools with children who demand special attention improve: they have smaller classes, so teachers can dedicate more time to students.
According to politicians, changes in public schools would require a review of their class sizes.
“Of course, it would be easier to implement it in the regions,” added E. Tamošiūnaitė.
Photo by Luke April / 15min / Community Discussion on Education
Ieva Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė, a member of the Labor Party, said that problems in school arise because there are unmotivated teachers who need to seek additional opportunities to earn money.
“Both education professionals and teachers still feel underrated,” said the candidate in an election.
By adopting the amendments to the Education Act, the Seimas provided that beginning in 2024, schools across the country will be able to welcome and educate children with disabilities or special educational needs. For this, it is planned to establish the positions of student assistants, specialists in educational support and carry out other measures.
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