First Lady Madam Ilham Hussain has launched a national level inquiry on the education opportunities for children with special needs. The inquiry to be undertaken by the Human Rights Commission was launched at a ceremony held at Dharubaaruge Tuesday evening.
Speaking at the function, the First Lady said that in the Maldives, only 10% of children with special needs were actively included in the regular school system, and highlighted the importance of exploring means of providing those children with proper education. She noted the need to sustainably develope the necessary resources and trained professionals, in order to provide special education.
In her speech, Madam Ilham said that the work that is being undertaken by the Human Rights Commission was very beneficial and very essential for the country at the moment. She said that at a time that the social unity of the country had been disrupted due to political reasons, the Humans Rights Commission was one of the entities that would properly be able to carry out such a research.
Speaking in this regard, First Lady Madam Ilham appealed to bring forward to the government authorities and the people, when the research work is complete, the real reasons why children with special needs were not attending school, and why they are not provided proper education. She expressed her confidence that as soon as everything was cleared, it would be easier for the government and other organisations to find solutions. Further, the First Lady called on everyone to work with the government in overcoming this obstacle in the country.
