Integrated digital system for inclusive education aims to meet every child’s needs
The Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) will implement a digital data management system for inclusive education to enable better monitoring of beneficiaries and involved staff. The Government has approved the system's concept.
"This will enable us to maintain better records of children with special educational needs (SEN) and ensure that they receive the necessary support throughout their education, from ages 0 to 3 until they graduate from school," stated Minister Dan Perciun during the Executive meeting on March 25.
According to the minister, improved records will allow authorities to tailor their policies "to meet the needs of each child."
Currently, data on students with SEN is scattered across various paper documents and separate electronic files, which are not accessible through interconnected databases.
"This fragmentation makes it difficult to plan, allocate resources, and assess the impact effectively, often leading to a reactive approach. Teachers spend a significant amount of time on manual documentation, which could instead be used to engage directly with students," the project's justification note states.
By implementing the new digital system, information on inclusive education, beneficiaries, and staff involved will be processed and accessed centrally.
The costs for implementing the system, estimated at 925,000 lei, were covered through a project supported by development partners.
It is noteworthy that, through the recently adopted amendments to the Education Code, authorities have committed to establishing support groups for children with severe disabilities to help integrate them into regular classes.
Two adults will work with up to six children with severe mental disabilities, providing individual support while allowing them to remain part of the educational community.
Additionally, children attending auxiliary schools, who often face significant challenges in social integration, will now be able to continue their studies through the 12th grade. Previously, these students could attend school only through the 9th grade.
As of now, over 95 schools across the country have been equipped with support devices for children with disabilities, and authorities aim to ensure that approximately 80% of schools provide support technologies by 2027 to ensure genuine access to inclusive education.
