The official number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in Romanian schools is over 60,000. However, the real figure is most likely much higher. Research in the field shows that a series of limiting factors affects the inclusion of learners with SEN in mainstream schools. During their initial training, teachers are not sufficiently prepared to work with learners with different types and degrees of special needs, nor to adapt the curriculum and their teaching strategies to learners’ individual psychological potential.
To address this, the Romanian Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research, together with the European Commission, organised the Peer Counselling activity entitled Support services for children with SEN integrated into mainstream schools – an integrated approach. This was a best practice exchange between specialists in Romania and six other EU member states.
Peer learning in the context of education co-operation at EU level is a method of observing both positive and negative examples of policy reforms adopted in other countries in order to draw lessons from them. Agency Representative Board members from six member countries – namely Belgium (Flemish Community), Czech Republic, France, Germany, Latvia and Slovenia – took part in the activity, providing external advice for Romania’s process of policy development in the field of inclusive education.
The main question for discussion was how prepared the educational system is for the access of learners with SEN, considering legislation, resources, classroom management, techniques and attitudes at the community level. The results of the event contributed to a roadmap for designing a training module for mainstream teachers’ initial education.
The Peer Counselling activity took place on 18–19 October 2016, with the participation of foreign experts, teachers from mainstream schools, inclusion specialists, school leaders, government representatives and university professors in the field of inclusion.
