Inclusive education training and research laboratory was opened at Abai University

On May 12, 2022 in Abai KazNPU ceremony of opening of the teaching and research laboratory of inclusive education was held with the support of «Dara» fund.

The purpose of the new structure of the leading pedagogical university of the country is organization and research in the field of inclusive and special education, training of students, use of laboratory resources and new industry technologies in preparation of school teachers, competent, practice-oriented teaching staff of the new formation.

The event was attended by Rector Darkhan Bilyalov, heads of special and inclusive education organizations of Kazakhstan, directors of special and inclusive schools and kindergartens in Almaty and Almaty region, as well as management and teachers of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology.

D. Bilyalov noted the importance of inclusive education to support special children and their families. «Every child regardless of physical condition, social and economic status, emotional peculiarities, gender and other factors should have access to education. The task of the state is to create all necessary conditions for this; the task of pedagogical universities is first of all to provide schools with highly professional specialists to teach children with special educational needs. I am sure that with the opening of this lab, the work in this direction will be accelerated», the rector said.

Gulnara Dosayeva, head of the Dara Foundation, said that the development of inclusive education is one of the main directions of her organisation. «We cooperate with over 50 schools in Kazakhstan, opening the space of inclusive education for teachers, students and their parents. We try to use the latest educational technologies to create a comfortable learning environment for children and professional work of teachers», she stressed.

Within the framework of cooperation with the Dara Foundation, teachers, undergraduates, post-graduates and practitioners will be involved to make the lab more efficient, develop cooperation with special and general education institutions in the country, train future teachers in a dual way, as well as conduct diagnostic studies and rehabilitation of children with special needs.

Galiya Abaeva, Director of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology, spoke about the concept of development of inclusive education laboratory, specialists in deaf, oligophrenic and visually impaired pedagogy presented areas of the laboratory and equipment for specialization.

During the event there were discussed conditions for inclusion of children with special needs into general education space, inclusive design thinking: stages and methods of implementation, provision of the country with special teaching staff; Big Data technologies and their application in education; practicing skills of sports, creative and educational support. There were also lectures-babbles on «Neuropsychological techniques in inclusive education», «Big Data technologies and their application in education», master-class «Inclusive design thinking: stages and methods of implementation», seminar «Conditions for inclusion of children with special needs in the general educational space».

As all participants noted, the event was very fruitful, the opening of the laboratory will be useful for current and future professionals.