The General Directorate of Special Education of the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic (MINERD), with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), concluded the training day on “Accessible Educational Models”, with the aim of promoting the inclusion of students with disabilities in the country’s educational system.
The event, which lasted two weeks, was attended by the Vice Minister of Technical and Pedagogical Affairs, Ligia Pérez; the Director of Special Education, Lucía Vázquez, and Lissette Núñez, UNICEF education officer.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Education, Roberto Fulcar, Deputy Minister Ligia Perez said that the implementation of the workshop will mark a before and after in the history of inclusion in the Dominican Republic.
He said that the MINERD is committed to ensuring that the “Accessible Educational Models” program is invested with all the necessary financial resources so that it can be developed and reach all teachers who are part of the Dominican inclusive education system.
“Inclusive education is one of the main pillars of the Education for a Better Life model, in which we promote quality education for all children with disabilities, so that they can study and have the same opportunities as other students in regular situations,” she said.
Deputy Minister Perez emphasized that with this training, the participants will become national multipliers to continue training their counterparts and these, in turn, the management teams and teachers of the educational centers.
For her part, the Director of Special Education, Lucia Vazquez, said that the MINERD works to strengthen inclusive policies, in order to ensure access to comprehensive and quality education for all children with any condition.
She said that the training will strengthen the design of accessible educational materials under the Universal Design for Learning (DUA) approach, to benefit all students nationwide.
“From the MINERD we are very grateful for the support provided by UNICEF and the University of Murcia, who were present in the training process for teachers in the area of educational inclusion in the Dominican Republic,” he said.
Liseth Núñez, from UNICEF, expressed that UNICEF is proud to work hand in hand with MINERD in this training process for all Special Education personnel, as this will benefit all students with disabilities.
He explained that UNICEF will continue working and joining efforts because it recognizes that Education has a capacity and a willingness committed to the education and training of all participants in this process.
“This has been possible because of the good wishes, interest and commitment that Minister Fulcar has in working and investing in inclusive education in the country, so from UNICEF we are very happy for all the progress that has been made in the inclusion of this vulnerable population,” he said.
The training addressed various topics, such as the principles of Universal Design for Learning, key aspects to know about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID) and accessible educational materials for the inclusion of these students in regular schools.
The activity was also attended by more than 80 technicians from the different regions of the country, support team, teachers, management teams, representatives of the University of Murcia, civil society organizations, national specialists, coordinators, among other personalities.
