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Osh – On April 29, 2016, Public Foundation “Smile.KG” organized public hearings to promote inclusive education for children with disabilities and their right to have access to school education as part of the project “Children Should Study Together!” supported by the Collaborative Governance Program, funded by USAID and DFID.

 

In March 2016, the Osh State Department of Education and PF “Smile.  KG” signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Social Partnership.  The Foundation initiated the establishment of the Alliance of Stakeholders to Promote Inclusive Education at the Local Level.

Participants of the hearings were be familiarized with the findings of the 2015 survey conducted  in 47 streamline schools to identify if the schools infrastructure is prepared to provide access to inclusive education for children with disabilities. The participants also learned about the identified educational needs of 120 school-age children with disabilities from the city of Osh.  The participants also adopted a resolution and recommendations for introducing and promoting inclusive education at the national level, as well as targeted recommendations for decision-makers from state agencies on advancing inclusive education at the local-level as it pertains to ensuring physical access to education for children with disabilities

The major problem related to children with disabilities is their limited physical access to education.  According to the Ministry of Social Development of the Kyrgyz Republic, there are currently over 26,000 children with disabilities living in the Kyrgyz Republic.  According to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, only 25 per cent of these children are enrolled in the education system.

In 2015, PF Smail.KG launched the project titled as “Yes to Inclusive Education!” that sought  improvement in access to inclusive education for children with disabilities in the city of Osh through the assessment of the quality of implementation of current regulations and the development of a model for improved access to mainstream schools for children with disabilities.

The Collaborative Governance Program (CGP) promotes effective collaboration among civil society, the private sector, and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the private sector of the Kyrgyz Republic. The Program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), and implemented by East-West Management Institute (EWMI).