Seychelles attends conference on special needs and disability compliance in basic and higher education |28 June 2022
The Seychelles delegation at the conference
A delegation from the Ministry of Education led by the principal secretary for Education Services, Merna Eulentin, attended the 6th Annual Conference on Special Needs and Disability Compliance in Basic and Higher Education held in South Africa from June 23 – 24, 2022.
The conference saw the participation of educators, inclusive education department staff, university policy managers, educational and counselling psychologists, curriculum designers and education technologists.
The aim of the conference were to:
- share the best and innovative practices for every aspect of institutional arrangements to accommodate students with special needs and disabilities;
- create an alignment between institutional management, researchers, lecturers and students in order to provide harmony;
- prioritise the education system for a 2030 development agenda to show more flexibility, dynamism and innovation in meeting the needs of a diverse population, in order to keep pace with the rapid societal and economic changes;
- highlight best practices for the theory of change to foster more effective strategies, in order to accommodate students facing severe multiple disabilities.
Various themes were explored during the conference such as mainstreaming disability at institutional level; conceptual framework, planning and policy factors; curriculum support and transformation for students with disability; inclusive designs for basic education level; access and participation as two sides of the same coin; navigating special education living with Down syndrome, as well as utilising tools and strategies that support students to better communicate and participate.
The Seychelles delegation also comprised the chief education officer, Desirée Hermitte; lecturer from the Seychelles Institute of Teacher Education, Fiona Payet; special needs coordinator of Port-Glaud primary, Mary Poris and special needs coordinator of Plaisance secondary, Christopher Battin.
Press release from the Ministry of Education