The Ministry of Education of Ecuador signs an agreement to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities

Within the framework of Bridging the Gap project, the Minister of Education of Ecuador, Monserrat Creamer, and Liliana Pelaia on behalf the representative of the National Federations of and for Disability signed an agreement on 26 November to support the improvement of coverage and quality of public services for inclusive education in Ecuador.

This agreement aims to promote the participation of organisations of and for disability in the implementation of public education policy, the exchange of experiences and knowledge on inclusive education, awareness actions on the right to education of children with disabilities, and the production, dissemination and use of educational materials for children with disabilities.

At the event, Minister Creamer remarked the coordinated work between the government, civil society and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, implementing partner of the project in Ecuador: “This agreement is the result of a very responsible process. We work for inclusion and educational quality to guarantee the right to education for all. With this project, any barrier will be overcome”. In the same vein, Liliana Pelaia, representing the disability federations stated that the agreement marks a milestone in the development of quality education for persons with disabilities.

The event was also attended by the President of the National Council for Equality of Disabilities (CONADIS), Xavier Torres, as well as representatives of AECID, the Ecuadorian Federation for Attention to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Down Syndrome (FEPAPDEM), the National Federation of the Deaf of Ecuador (FENASEC), the National Federation of Ecuadorians with Physical Disabilities (FENEDIF), the National Federation of the Blind of Ecuador (FENCE) and the European Union.

In Ecuador, Bridging the Gap’s action is developed in close cooperation with the National Federations of and for Disability with the aim of strengthening their capacity to influence and participate in the elaboration of the country’s Education Policy, as well as promoting, through their working agreements with the Ministry of Education, the improvement of the coverage and the quality of the education services, so as to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities and overcome existing gaps.