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Description
The Slovak education system is facing criticism due to the poor results of pupils in international testing (PISA), which point to their extreme dependence on the socio-economic background, but also due to the high degree of segregation of disadvantaged children. As the experience of countries with above-average pupil outcomes shows, the answer to these challenges is to increase individualisation in education and to transform education systems towards inclusive education. Based on the results of the To dá rozum (It makes sens) survey, schools are not prepared to educate children with diverse needs and would need learning and methodologic support in this area.
The aim is to build an expert institution aimed at supporting the introduction of inclusive education, which on the one hand will create and validate a model of comprehensive support services for schools and local governments and on the other hand will coordinate the process of joint advocacy activities. The Centre for Inclusive Education, which was founded for this purpose in 2019, began to implement educational activities, provide assistance to schools and local governments. Its members also received a mandate from the Research Institute of Child Psychology and Pathopsychology to coordinate the preparation of a national strategy for inclusive education. The project represents an effort to ensure sufficient personnel, professional and institutional capacities to perform these tasks.
The expertise, experience and history of the partner, Pedverket Resource Center, is an example of good practice in building a quality support centre in the field of inclusive education, operating both nationally and internationally. The applicant has ambitions to inspire partners in terms of their institutional development, but also specific expertise in inclusive education. The project partner brings his expertise in a unique, Grundlaget method, aimed at supporting the cognitive development of children with specific potential.
Summary of project results
The project helped to build the Inclusion Center - the Center for Inclusive Education, which can serve as an example of good practice of non-profit organizations - democratic and participatory management culture, consensual decisions. The project helped to improve: setting up internal inclusive processes in the organization, work efficiency and increasing the motivation of Incluscentre staff and lecturers through identification of their own potential, interests, quality service for people, open staff remuneration system, online counseling for schools, service and support for schools in the form of education and methodological or legislative support. The Inclucentre implemented 9 long-term trainings in the topics of Artefiletics, Teaching Assistant in Practice, Nonviolent Communication, School Support Team, Facilitative and Reflective Learning, some in up to three runs. The project helped to create 28 topics of short-term webinars for pedagogical and professional staff and was attended by almost 2,000 graduates from all over Slovakia. The project also contributed to the realization of Grunnlaget''s unique training in cooperation with our Norwegian partner. We managed to expand the organization''s organizational team (currently 3 permanent employees), the board of directors (3 members who meet monthly), provide more than 20 expert lecturers, develop important documents of the organization: Strategic plan, financial plan, marketing plan. As part of advocacy activities, the organization participated in the creation of a national strategy for inclusive education, comments and drafting of legislation in the field of inclusive education (amendments to school laws and decrees, the State Education Program), inclusive adjustments to secondary school admission criteria, addressing complaints inspections, labor law violations against school support teams or school assistants.The result of the project is a functional organization with 3 employees, efficient management, a well-set budget, the ability to acquire new and new projects. Trained around 2,000 teachers and professional staff of schools, published 60 articles and 8 methodological materials - bulletins in an attractive graphic design, answered more than 356 counseling emails.Summary of bilateral results
The project partner is a major European organization with a 25-year tradition, Pedverket Kompetanse, which operates in Norway and was founded by Gunvor Sønnesyn and Morten Hem, who also support the recognized Grunnlaget method. The importance of such cooperation lay in the exchange of knowledge and the establishment of the Grunnlaget method in Slovakia. The authors of the method directly trained future trainers of this method in Slovakia. During the partner''s visit, the Slovak organization felt the inclusive approach that the preschool system and the school system live there.During the working trip, an even closer cooperation was established with the Norwegian partner, the project implementers and the partner mutually proposed joint visions of the partnership, they completed the first run of trainings for Slovak participants in the Grunnlaget method. After the partner''s visit itself, the organization gained encouragement and new inspiration for an even better understanding of the topic of inclusive education, focusing more on the classroom and the teacher than on professional services and external service.The result of the cooperation is, for example, the translated Grunnlaget methodology into Slovak in aesthetic graphic design, suitable for those interested in a deeper study of the method. And organizing education in the Grunnlaget method in Slovakia by trained lecturers.The vision is to continue contact with the partner organization and to develop cooperation on other topics, as evidenced by the concluded memorandum of cooperation.