On access to school: A quality education for children with limited abilities (Materials of the Round Table of the Russian Public Council for the Development of Education, Moscow, April 2006)

Abstract

The upbringing and education of children with limited abilities has always been an issue that is painful and difficult to discuss. In the Soviet period, it was possible for the education system to provide reasonable education even to children who could not attend regular school. There were Russian traditions, and special education methods, speech therapists and educators who could find a common language with their students. The new time has brought new ideas. More and more is said about inclusive education for children with limited abilities. It is important not only for the children themselves, but also for their parents and classmates. This can become one of the ways of destroying barriers in Russian society. Inclusive education requires new curricula, changes in teachers’ training, new textbooks and supplementary funding. However, the old experience of successful teaching should not be discarded. These and other problems were discussed at a special meeting of the Russian Public Council for the Development of Education. This problem is not purely educational, and it should be solved not only by the education system, but by society as a whole.