Special Education Services for Persons with Disabilities... From the Authority to the Ministry of Education

Coordinating efforts continue among relevant authorities to transfer the responsibility for providing educational services to students with disabilities to the Ministry of Education, ensuring a qualitative leap in the level of services offered to this group and laying the foundation for a new phase of institutional integration based on unifying references and developing educational and rehabilitative tools.

Joint coordination meetings between the Public Authority for Persons with Disabilities and the Ministry of Education have resulted in agreement on transferring this vital mandate, within a comprehensive vision aimed at developing inclusive education and enhancing the sustainability of specialized educational services, in line with government directions to raise the quality of education and ensure equal opportunities for all students.

Sources familiar with the matter clarified that the mechanisms and procedures for implementing the transfer of responsibilities will be determined through the executive steps agreed upon during those meetings, with procedures to be completed in the near future. This aims to ensure an organized and smooth transition without affecting service continuity or infringing upon the rights of students with disabilities.

This move follows directives from the Council of Ministers to transfer the responsibility for educational services provided to persons with disabilities from the Authority for Persons with Disabilities to the Ministry of Education. The Authority has begun formulating a comprehensive package of measures and procedures required to ensure the success of the transfer process and achieve its strategic objectives.

According to discussions held during meetings of the Committee for Developing Educational Buildings for Schools for Persons with Disabilities, this step stems from a shared commitment to ensuring the continuity of educational services and avoiding harm to students, while working to develop the educational environment to suit their diverse needs.

In this context, the Authority identified a set of key pillars that the Ministry of Education must work on in the coming phase. Foremost among these is the expansion of inclusive classrooms and learning difficulties classes. The Authority called for the widespread provision of these classrooms in all government schools across governorates and educational districts, ensuring that educational services reach all eligible students. It also emphasized the necessity of establishing a clear mechanism to determine the number of target students in each educational district, thereby achieving geographic distribution equity and preventing overcrowding or shortages in services.

Regarding human resources, the Authority stressed the importance of providing specialized and trained educational and pedagogical staff to deal with various types of disabilities, including mental and motor disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, learning difficulties, and hearing and visual impairments. It further emphasized the need to prepare continuous training programs for teachers and administrators in coordination with relevant authorities, contributing to improved performance efficiency and enhanced quality of educational outcomes.

On the curriculum front, the Authority called for the study and issuance of special educational curricula for kindergarten, tailored to the needs of children with disabilities. The Ministry of Education will be responsible for approving, purchasing, and periodically updating these curricula, ensuring they keep pace with the latest global educational practices.

The Authority also stressed the importance of expanding inclusive kindergartens by providing institutions that accept children with disabilities starting from the age of 3.5 years, offering an inclusive educational environment that supports their integration with peers. Additionally, it highlighted the need to allocate special needs classrooms for severe cases that are difficult to integrate into general classrooms.

The Authority also emphasized the necessity of adopting the curricula implemented in centers and educational and rehabilitation institutions that accommodate persons with disabilities up to the age of 45, and of recognizing the rehabilitation certificates issued by these institutions. It called for unifying the educational reference framework for these curricula under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, to ensure the quality of educational content and its consistency with the state’s public policies.

Regarding the re-licensing of centers and institutions, the Authority urged the Ministry of Education to define the necessary procedures for re-licensing centers that were previously licensed by the Ministry, and to designate the competent authority within the Ministry responsible for technical and educational supervision and oversight. This should be accompanied by the establishment of a transitional period that ensures the continuity of services and prevents harm to beneficiaries.

The Authority stressed the importance of ensuring continuity and organization during the transitional phase. This includes the continued payment of tuition fees to existing centers and institutions until the transfer of competencies is completed and suitable government alternatives are provided. Additionally, a clear timeline must be prepared, outlining implementation stages, responsible entities, and performance measurement indicators.

On the financing front, the Authority emphasized the need to take necessary measures in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance to transfer the budget currently allocated for tuition fees for students with disabilities from its own budget to the Ministry of Education’s budget. This transfer should be based on the actual number of students, the types of disabilities, and the approved costs for each educational category.

The Authority stressed the importance of guaranteeing the uninterrupted disbursement of these allocations during the transitional period. It also called for designating the responsible entity within the Ministry of Education to approve disbursements, monitor financial commitments, and oversee private schools benefiting from these allocations.

The Authority requested that the Ministry provide it with details of the executive measures and steps taken in response to these requirements. This includes specifics regarding the transfer of competencies for studying educational cases, setting official and announced deadlines for receiving registration applications for students with disabilities for the upcoming academic year, clarifying the application schedule and reception mechanism (whether in-person or electronic), and specifying the required documents. These measures aim to ensure transparency and facilitate procedures.

This request comes as a precursor to presenting the matter to the competent authorities and completing the requirements for the transfer of competencies, in accordance with the mandate from the Education, Health, and Youth Committee of the Council of Ministers. This step aims to enhance the readiness of relevant entities to implement this transition in a comprehensive manner.

The Public Authority for Persons with Disabilities stressed the need to clarify the mechanism for handling cases that cannot be integrated into government schools, particularly those with complex or severe disabilities. It emphasized the importance of continuing coordination with the Authority during the transitional period regarding the determination of disability types and the assessment of educational and rehabilitation needs for each case.

Regarding the upcoming academic year, the procedures stipulate the transfer of the competencies of case study committees and the organization of student registration from the Authority for Persons with Disabilities to the Ministry of Education. The Ministry will assume responsibility for assessing the educational needs of each student and determining the appropriate pathway, whether full integration, partial integration, or specialized education in special needs classes.

The Authority stressed the necessity of not delaying the acceptance of any student with disabilities and working to resolve all cases during the specified registration period. It also emphasized continuing coordination with the Authority during the transitional period concerning existing cases or those still under follow-up.