INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC-PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE: "INCLUSIVE EDUCATION-STATUS AND CHALLENGES"

Abstract

This conference was realized in the period from 17 to 19 May 2012 in Hotel Sirius in Strumica. The organizers of this conference were:

• The Association of Special Educators and Rehabilitators of the Republic of Macedonia;
• The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Macedonia;
• The Faculty of Philosophy Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation.

This conference had three goals:
1.   To present developed system of inclusive education;
2.   In terms of the stakeholders, to map the current situation in the process of inclusive education in Macedonia;
3.   To identify the challenges on which Macedonia should be focused in order to promote inclusive education for children with special educational needs in preschool, primary and secondary educational institutions.
The goals of this meeting were achieved through a series of presentations of papers and fruitful discussions on four topics related to the success of inclusive education.
The general conclusion of the presentations of papers and discussions from the roundtable is that inclusive education in Macedonia is considered as an isolated process that affects only professionals, children with special educational needs and their parents.
In order to promote this process, inclusive education of children with special educational needs should be considered as a social change and must involve all stakeholders.
In order to achieve this, changes are necessary in:
1.   The system of planning, assessment and evaluation of educational and educated work with this group of students;
2.   The system of management of inclusive education in RM;
3.   The system of a multidisciplinary approach; and
4.   The system of assessment, evaluation and identification of children with special educational needs.