DEVELOPMENT OF INTEGRATION/INCLUSION

Development of Integration/Inclusion to present the process of development of inclusion in the country and cover both views of and routes to integration

During the past decade in Hungry, there has been an unprecedented interdependence of mainstream and special pedagogies in the field of organising education. Changes were initiated and moved by integration, by the fact that along with the traditionally strong system of special education institutions the inclusive development and education of pupils with special educational needs appeared as well.

In Hungary inclusion is considered to be the key issue of the approach to special educational needs in the field of active integration of people with disabilities into the society. Today the question is not whether pupils with disabilities should be educated together with their mainstream peers or in special institution but how they should be educated together.

The Ministry of Education has developed comprehensive plans for integrative development. The amendment to the Act on Public Education will have the effect that in the process of education and in the operation of related organisations anti-discrimination efforts will appear more strongly, the exclusion of weaker stakeholder groups will be reduced and these groups will be more involved in realising the objectives of public education. The medium-term measures of the public education strategy aim at reducing inequalities of chances with the interests of pupils both with special educational needs and/or disadvantaged background in view.

Social integration and enhancing equal chances are articulated in the programme of the government as well. The main objective of the development process is to develop a school system where schools adapt to the diversity of cultural experiences, abilities and learning needs of pupils.

In the last two years the process of transforming the best (previously segregated) special schools into institutions providing professional and support services, in which the support systems can be developed and the practice of inclusion can be supported. With the expansion of inclusive education the inclusive institutions need the expertise of special education teachers e.g. in programmes of development, using various therapies, counselling. The active involvement of segregating schools in the process of inclusion provide opportunities for in-service training of teachers, improving the quality and content of communication with parents, fulfilling professional duties.

Ensuring the conditions for inclusive education of pupils with special educational needs requires the application of many instruments besides regulation. The most important ones are to create a material, technical, environmental and personal conditions of integration, to develop the pedagogical methodology of inclusive education, to introduce in-service training for integrating teachers, developing in-service training courses with the aim of increasing the social sensitivity and changing the attitudes of teachers, and to create a degree of interestedness higher than at present.

Ongoing reforms, development objectives emphasise that conditions for inclusive education should be created in as many institutions as possible. To enhance this, a comprehensive action and development plan has been developed – the Operational Programme of Human Resource Development of the National Development Plan. Developing instruments and programmes supporting integration for initial and in-service teacher training, strengthening the professional services and counselling and creating and enriching opportunities have a favourable impact on the inclusive education of pupils with special educational needs.

The main objective of educational policy developments is to provide an optimum choice of training and education for pupils with special educational needs that is adapted in the best possible way to the individual needs, abilities and preconditions of learning of pupils with special educational needs, makes the whole range of mainstream education accessible for them and provides opportunity for establishing Uniform Special Education Methodological Institutions.

Important tasks are to improve the co-operation of partners (pupils, teachers, other professionals, parents, maintainers) participating in the pedagogical development work, to organise intra-professional co-operation with a shared concept of various counselling services, to create the co-operation of institutions of provision, to create co-operation among pre-school institutions, general schools, educational counselling services, special schools and mainstream general schools. The work of public education institutions, maintainers and teachers as well as activities related to protecting pupil interests are supported by pedagogical-professional services. These services include pedagogical evaluation, whose task is to measure and assess the effectiveness of education in the educational institution; to facilitate the organisation of local, regional and regional public education provision; and counselling, whose task is disseminate teaching and pedagogical methods.

Supportive Education Policy
Today education policy in Hungary identifies inclusion as a political, social and pedagogical aim. It pays special attention to the financing of special needs education. The regulatory framework favours the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs.

The Hungarian Ministry of Education has developed comprehensive integration projects. The amendment of the Act on Public Education of 1993 intends to enforce the anti-discrimination efforts in the process of education and training and in the activities of all institutions involved.
The education of pupils with special needs is supported by the government’s intentions: according to the above-mentioned law pupils with special needs may attend mainstream schools. Parents are also asked to participate actively in their children’s education.