On October 15, the representatives of the human rights defender's office made an unannounced monitoring visit to the "Kapan No. 3 Special Educational Complex" of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia (hereinafter referred to as the Educational Complex).
During the unannounced visit, the representatives of the Ombudsman's staff observed the lesson process, had private conversations with the school staff, examined the school premises, building conditions, sanitary and communal facilities, the state and documents of child care, medical assistance provision, catering, employees, children's rights and fundamental freedoms. their compliance with established requirements and applicable standards.
The defender's representatives recorded a number of problems, some of which are systemic and require urgent solutions. In particular, it was recorded that the physical environment of the educational complex does not comply with the universal design principles.
At the time of the visit, necessary reasonable accommodations for children studying in the Educational Complex were not provided. The directorate noted that currently steps are being taken towards this. The educational complex needs to be equipped with a multidisciplinary team, including ergotherapists, sign language interpreters and other specialists. From this point of view, the lack of both positions and narrow specialists in the region is problematic. The current process of assessment of children's needs practically does not guarantee their real and individualized nature.
An unprofessional workload of the employees of the Educational Complex was recorded, which is due to the scarcity of resources.
An inconsistency between the professional powers and actual activities of the employees of the Educational Complex was recorded. The Educational Complex does not have a clear toolkit aimed at identifying, preventing and responding to cases of violence, including bullying.
It has been recorded that children from remote settlements often spend the night in the Educational Complex due to the lack of transport. There is a need for continuous training of the employees of the Educational Complex according to professional work content, etc.
At the end of the visit, the recorded problems were discussed with the director and staff of the Educational Complex. The Director presented to the Defender's representatives the measures taken to solve the problems, including the works being carried out in the direction of changing the charter of the Educational Complex.
The results of the unannounced monitoring visit, including the systemic issues repeatedly raised by the Defender, will be summarized, and the document reflecting them will be presented to the competent authorities in the field together with the recommendations.
The human rights defender once again specifically emphasizes that the state has, among other things, undertaken the obligation to recognize the right of every child to education without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity through the UN conventions "On the Rights of the Child" and "On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities". declaring universal and inclusive education as a guarantee of every child's right to education.
The State has an obligation to ensure that curricula are designed and implemented to meet and adapt to the needs of each learner and provide an appropriate educational response.
