The Agency has completed an analysis of resources allocated to special needs and inclusive education in Cyprus. The work is part of the on-going collaboration within the European Union’s Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP) between the Agency, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG Reform) and the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth (MOECSY). The Agency is also working with education ministries in four other countries as part of the SRSP, with the aim of making their education systems more inclusive.
The completed resource analysis is one outcome of Phase 2 of the activities in Cyprus. Final aspects of the analysis were discussed during online meetings held in June with the Steering Committee from the MOECSY.
The resource analysis uses information from the MOECSY to map the existing special needs and inclusive education resources in the Cypriot education system. Following Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and international research, the resource analysis shifts away from focusing on specific learners and their individual needs. Instead, it aims to identify barriers to high-quality education for all learners. It proposes a more efficient use of resources and provides data-based recommendations to improve the education system’s capacity to meet all needs.
The resource analysis framework includes strategies for the deployment and manipulation of resources, governance mechanisms and system capacity building, as well as allocation of funds. In particular, it focuses on resourcing mechanisms that enable a continuum of support and encourage a whole-school approach, focusing on barriers to teaching and learning.
The Ministry will use the resource analysis in its reform on inclusive education. The Agency will use data from the analysis in the on-going SRSP Action, which will provide the recommendations and regulations which accompany the new law on inclusive education.