First Egyptian School for Special Needs Integration to Open in 2022

The 30 June Association, operating under the direction of the Egyptian Ministry of Education, has announced that it will be opening a new school specialised in offering educational services for children with special needs. The 30 June Association is an affiliation of schools that operates under the guidance of the Egyptian Ministry of Education.

This school aims to facilitate the integration of children with special needs into the general school system by the coming academic year of 2022-2023.

The new school will create programmes and curriculums tailored to the children’s psychological, health, and educational needs with a special focus on early stages of childhood development.

The increased inclusion and integration of children with special needs in the general schooling system aligns with national strategies laid out by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to ensure the provision of “full educational rights for all in a humane and healthy environment”.

Tariq Shawky, the Egyptian Minister of Education, has granted full support to the initiative that has pledged to provide the highest quality educational services in accordance with international standards and regulations. Teachers, psychologists and social workers on-site will also be provided with training and capacity-building programmes to ensure they meet international requirements for special education professionals.

The services and programmes provided will also cater to the families of children with special needs. Special education professionals will be tasked with training parents on how to provide the required care to their children to guarantee academic success; this includes speech sessions, behaviour modification, and the assignment of household chores.

Hala Ghoniem, a leading special needs education professional, is currently in charge of supervising the school. Ghoniem has stated that the school aims to provide three phases of preparation. There will be an initial period of preparation, followed by a phase of partial integration, and finally a phase of full integration to slowly help adjustment into the general school system over a defined period of time.

The school campus will be equipped with a research centre dedicated to the betterment of educational programmes for children with special needs to ensure rapid and seamless integration back into the general school system. There will also be an on-campus kitchen to deliver specialised meals with tailored nutritional requirements in an effort to improve physical and mental well-being.

Although the exact location of the school has not been reported, construction is said to be currently underway.