CASTRIES, St. Lucia – The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Program for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning (OECS PEARL) has launched the Special Education Needs (SEN) survey in the nine-member sub-regional grouping.
The OECS Commission said that the “overarching goal of the SEN Survey is to support enhancements to the education of students with special education needs and disabilities across the OECS so that “Every Learner Succeeds”.
The OECS PEARL is a comprehensive four-year program of improvements to education that builds upon the significant progress that has been made in Special Education across the Caribbean and the OECS.
“However, more improvements are required to ensure that all children have learning opportunities to reach their full potential. The purpose of the SEN Survey is to collect information from multiple stakeholders to inform the development of an action plan of interventions to support students with special needs, a professional development plan to support their teachers and to inform the purchase of assistive devices to increase access to learning,” the Commission said.
It said it is calling on members of the public to be more conscientious and sensitive to people with special needs and to share in the data gathering effort.
“People who love and care about children are encouraged to reach out to their local Ministry of Education to determine how they can contribute. Very importantly, some children with special needs are not in school. Let us know how to reach them to provide the support for learning that they need.”
The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin islands.
