THERE ARE not enough support measures at schools for pupils with special needs, according to Ombudswoman Eliana Nicolaou in her 2003 Annual Report.
Nicolaou conducted an investigation into the matter after receiving a complaint regarding a primary school’s poor treatment of a 10-year-old pupil with special needs.
The Ombudswoman wanted to determine what support was available for children with special needs at different schools as well as the specific rights of the 10-year-old.
“Each child has the right to an education in the appropriate place and child-friendly environment,” said Nicolaou.
As mentioned in her report, introducing children with special needs into a school and preventing stigmatisation and their social isolation could be difficult.
This happens when a child and its family are not offered the support and help required.
After the poor treatment of the 10-year-old, Nicolaou noted in her report that despite the number of social workers, “no help was given to the child who needed constant monitoring and support by experts to deal with his psychological problems”.
Neither the social services, the welfare services, nor the children’s psychiatric wing at Makarios Hospital were able to support the child on a systematic basis.
There was also no daily care to control the child’s outbursts or behaviour. Nicolaou reported that there were no other organisations available to support children with mental health problems in contrast to the support system for children with physical handicaps.
The Ombudswoman suggested that the relevant authorities and the Health Ministry study the possibility of creating a foundation and unit of daily care for children with special needs as well as a psychiatric health clinic.
She said that in other countries there were psychiatric health day centres for children with special needs. These centres provide children with a protected and controlled environment where they can be given the correct therapy.
The centres also help assimilate children into their schools without alienating them from their home environment.
For these centres to be set up in Cyprus, the social and welfare services must first face the problems of schools without support for children with special needs, as well as monitor cases where pupils are neglected.
According to Nicolaou the correct means of communication must be established with all the involved services to inform the public of the special attention needed.
In her report Nicolaou also mentions the way children with special needs are treated by society. “Unfortunately no family, no school has been able to cultivate a satisfactory level of acceptance for children with special needs.
This results in them being teased and isolated,” she said.
Children and adults alike must be educated and learn to accept them as part of society, she said.
