Group of NGOs (Naše sunce, Human Rights Action, Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro, First Association of parents of children and youth with special needs, Association of parents of children with disabilities in Podgorica, Association Parents, Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Women’s Rights Centre, Juventas, Shelterand Centre for Women and Peace Education– ANIMA) today addressed a letter to Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare in which they reminded that issues related to engagement of assistants in the education of children with special educational needs prevent those children from exercising their right to free and inclusive education and called the Government to:
1. urgently ensure that schools prescribe by systematization acts the positions for assistants in the education of children with special educational needs, which would help overcoming the restrictions in case of the employment in public institutions during the pre-election period, i.e. meet the conditions to instantly conclude the contracts with teaching assistants,
2. engage as priority those persons for assistants who have been adequately trained for that occupation, and who have had the experience in performing that job. In this manner, they could keep the staff that has been trained for that job, that has gained precious experience in work throughout recent years, which beneficial for children who suffer due to the replacement of assistants to which help and support they get accustomed to,
3. propose to Parliament the amendment of Article 30a of Law on Education of children with special educational needs (Teaching assistant), in order to prescribe that the assistants are paid from state budget instead of performing that challenging task “voluntarily, as a rule”, as it is currently prescribed.
We invite other interested NGOs to uphold the appeal and help children with special educational needs to realise their constitutionally guaranteed right to free primary education.