BerlinThe Association for Education and Upbringing (VBE) complains about deficiencies in Germany’s schools when it comes to integrating pupils with disabilities and special needs.
There is a clear difference between the importance of inclusion in political Sunday speeches and the resources actually made available, said VBE federal chairman Udo Beckmann: “That is why schools are still unable to fulfill their inclusion mandate under the given framework conditions.”
From the point of view of the association, smaller classes, more barrier-free schools, better basic, advanced and further training for teachers and comprehensive support from special educators are necessary. The association commissioned a survey at the Forsa Institute, according to which 56 percent of the teachers surveyed found joint lessons to be fundamentally useful, but only 27 percent of these supporters currently consider it useful in practice.
Setback due to Corona
The 2127 general school teachers surveyed also provided information on the restrictions in the corona crisis and their effects on inclusion. 70 percent said that the students could not receive sufficient support when schools were closed. 74 percent of those surveyed agree with the statement that the corona-related restrictions have led to a regression in inclusion because there was no common everyday life.
According to the association, around six and a half percent of the more than eight million pupils in general education schools have identified special educational needs. A little less than half of them, a total of 235,000, are taught at a regular school, the others at special schools.
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