Children with special needs need to be given special attention and care. This is why the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE) held a workshop last week – between the 21st and 23rd of May. “In the context of global peace we need societies which are just and non-discriminatory and which encourage people to live and learn together. This means respecting, encouraging and providing for diversity,” according to the MIE. Dr Smriti Swarup, the director of a Special Education Centre in Mumbai, was the workshop leader and is currently helping to start work on Teacher Education Programmes for specialist teachers.

The training of teachers to work with pupils with special educational needs is actually part of the strategic plan of the MIE for 2007-2012. During the workshop, the institute provided training sessions for educators working in one of the specialised schools. Moreover, the workshop was also aimed at starting capacity building within the MIE in special areas of expertise related to special education needs.

For three days, the participants explored the “challenges of working with the special needs children” and analysed “strategies and best practices in providing for the education of those children”. The needs of mentally retarded and austistic children were also among the areas examined by participants of the workshop.

<B>Commitment at international level</B>

The expertise of the psycho-educationist, clinical psychologist and teacher educator from Mumbai was particularly useful for the MIE. Dr Smriti Swarup indeed has “more than 25 years experience in teaching, research and educational planning in the area of education and special needs education. She has also conducted extensive research in special education as well as presenting and publishing over 100 papers in that area”.

The MIE is actually helping the country to honour its commitment at an international level. As part of the Millenium Development Goal of Education for All, Mauritius has to make sure that all children – including those with special educational needs – are provided with quality education that is effective for them.

The ministry of Education has already taken a few initiatives in that field. The quite recent renaming of one section of three state schools according to international trends is a proof of the interest the ministry takes in these special needs schools. Likewise, the National Policy Paper and Strategy Paper on special education needs published last year is also a step further towards taking all citizens on board. This paper emphasises on the policy that needs to be adopted to address children with serious learning difficulties.

The number of special education needs institutions has been on the increase – they have reached 40 – for the past few years but it is now necessary to train the educators to make sure the children have the best possible chance of getting the education that fits their needs.