The Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC) in Cyprus has planned a legislative reform of its special education provision. This reform aims to make the education system more inclusive, in line with the stated priorities at European and international level. At the request of the Cypriot MoEC, the European Commission Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS) contracted the Agency to assist in analysing the current policy framework regarding special needs and inclusive education. The analysis aimed to identify the system’s strengths and weaknesses.

On 4 December 2018, the Agency was invited to a conference celebrating South Africa’s work towards inclusivity in education. Three South African universities specialising in training teachers in special needs education hosted a day of academic exchanges at the University of Witswatersrand’s Centre for the Deaf. Agency Representative Board member, Raffaele Ciambrone, from the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research took part here in a panel discussion on inclusivity in education.

The new EASIE Key Messages and Findings (2014 / 2016) report highlights 10 key messages and the main findings from the first two European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education datasets and Cross-Country Reports:

Parents and professionals in Scotland continue to work towards inclusive education for learners with additional support needs. However, a recent consultation on the presumption of mainstreaming has received some mixed reviews. 

The Scottish Government’s Excellence and Equity for All consultation hoped to obtain views on the draft guidance published for local authority education departments. It hoped to help their decision-making in applying a presumption of mainstreaming, as well as improve inclusive practice in schools. 

Since 1992, the 3rd of December has been celebrated around the world as the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The theme for this year’s IDPD is 'Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality'. This theme focuses on the empowering persons with disabilities for the inclusive, equitable and sustainable development envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Agency has been approached by the European Commission in order to technically support two activities approved in the frame of the Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP). Activities have been requested by the ministries of education in Cyprus and Poland. Both are fully funded by the European Commission and by the ministries of education of Poland and Cyprus, and they concern legislative educational changes regarding inclusive education.