Complaints about private schools refusing to accept children with disabilities, citing internal regulations and the "right of student choice", were made on Wednesday to the House Education Committee, which looked into the matter.
Parents and representatives of associations of people with disabilities complained that in several cases, mainly in pre-primary and elementary schools, private institutions either reject applications for enrollment of children with disabilities, or do not allow the presence of a school chaperone, effectively excluding these children from the right to education.
The issue provoked strong reactions from MPs of all parties, who called on the Minister of Education to carry out checks and fill the institutional gap with legislation, which ensures equal treatment of all children.
They agreed that the State must ensure equal access to education for all children, regardless of whether they attend public or private schools.
The Commission is expected to return to the issue in the next session, with the aim of formulating a law proposal that will provide for the mandatory provision of escorts and state coverage of the costs.
DISY MP, Giorgos Karoulas, stated that the education of children with disabilities is a fundamental right and requested that the institutional gap that exists in private education be filled immediately.
"Providing equal opportunities in education for children with disabilities is their right. And it is an obligation of both the state, their parents, and society at large," he noted.
He said that "the presence of a school escort for children with disabilities must also cover the entire spectrum of private education", adding that "an institutional gap is recorded, which causes social and educational exclusion".
As he said, "the state must cover this gap by amending the legislation, just as it applies to public schools", emphasizing that this provision is also covered by relevant UN conventions.
He expressed the Commission's intention to immediately promote a relevant amendment to the legislation.
The MP of DIPA - Cooperation, Alekos Tryfonidis, spoke of "shame", noting that "we are in the unpleasant position of discussing today that private schools are not obliged to accept children with disabilities".
"When a child enters a private school, he is not provided with an escort by the state, as is the case in public education. We demand that the Ministry of Education immediately change the legislation and regulations so that children with disabilities in private schools can have their chaperones from the state free of charge. It is an elementary obligation of the state," he added.
Mr. Tryfonidis said that the state must stand by the parents and children who struggle every day for equal participation in society.
The member of parliament, Andreas Themistokleous, spoke strongly about the impermissible attitude of private schools.
"It does not honor the Republic of Cyprus, it does not honor our state, it does not honor anyone that private schools deny the existence of chaperones for children with special needs," he said.
He said that "every child with special needs who attends a private school is entitled to a companion for all the hours he is there", adding that "the state must pay the cost of these companions, as it is a small number of children".
He reminded that the law does not allow a private school to expel a student or deny his enrollment without the consent of the Minister of Education and called on the Ministry to immediately check any violations.
