Keywords: human rights obligations, enhancing social service delivery.
Turkmenistan is a developing country which is oriented towards growth, peace and stability. By now Turkmenistan became a member of fourteen core human right treaties and protocols, which require continued work on implementing international human rights obligations, enhancing social service delivery, promoting gender equality and fostering inclusive society. As it was reported by National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, “Recognizing the primacy of the general principles and norms of international law, and the importance of international cooperation in improving the situation of children, Turkmenistan has signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.” Joining Convention, Turkmenistan declared to the international community that it will bring its national legislation in line with the provisions of the Convention. Moreover, “it provided a legal framework for creating decent living conditions within the country and ensured that each and every child can fully exercise the complete range of constitutionally-guaranteed human rights, without any discrimination whatsoever” (MONEE, 2002). In the early years of Independence, the International Parliamentary Conference on the Rights of the Child was held in Turkmenistan (February 20–22, 1997), by the end of which the Ashgabat Declaration was signed. This document set forth the priorities for national legislation with regard to the child’s right to survival, development, and protection. The problems of children who find themselves in especially difficult circumstances — the orphaned and handicapped — have been granted top priority. The following documents have been adopted to provide a legal mechanism in national legislation and to ensure the rights of the child: The Declaration on the International Obligations of Neutral Turkmenistan in the Area of Human Rights (December 27, 1995); the laws “On Education in Turkmenistan” (October 1, 1993), “On Guaranteeing the Rights of the Child” (July 5, 2002), “On Government Allowances and Benefits” (July 17, 1998), “On Social Safeguards for the Disabled in Turkmenistan” (June 29, 1992); the Turkmenistan Presidential Directive “On Family-Type Children’s Homes” (No. 10, October 3, 1994), etc.
Proceeding from the above-mentioned laws and legislations, people with disabilities categorized according to the severity of their functional disorders and the limitations of their vital activities. The category of “children with disabilities” has been assigned to those under the age of 16. In Turkmenistan, the number of disabled children is not high. According to the statistics report of Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan it’s less than 1 % of the overall population. By taking into consideration each case individually, such as the particulars of the patient’s medical condition, the nature and course of the pathological process, as well as the level of his or her compensatory development, or the degree of social des-adaptation, children with disabilities could be involved into educational and pedagogical processes. Upon reaching the age of 16, children with disability must be certified by the Medico-Social Expert Commissions (MSEC) in accordance with the instruction on “Basic Criteria for Determining Disability” (No. 218, issued September 6, 1999). Relying on above mentioned regulation “Disability with no set time for re-certification is established in cases of: chronic, irreversible morphological changes and abnormalities in the functioning of individual organs and the body as a whole; and the impossibility of improvement, or of restoring social adaptation due to the inadequacy of the rehabilitation measures employed. The parents of children with disabilities are interested in certifying the child, because this gives certain benefits and privileges on the child’s mother. In accordance with the Code of Social Protection of the Population of Turkmenistan, “The mother (or any other person formally designated as the child’s adoptive parent or guardian) is paid a disability benefit granted to children with disabilities under the age of 16. Disability benefits are granted from the day the disability status is established, but no more than three months from the day the benefits were first applied for. Benefits are granted to handicapped children under the age of 16 if they have a documented disability since childhood, regardless of whether or not they have been covered by government social security.”
The government of Turkmenistan created numerous supports to the parents of children with disabilities. Such as, to care for their children with disabilities, mothers have the right to take up to six years of uninterrupted job leave. Moreover, in accordance with the Code of Turkmenistan, mothers of children with disabilities have the right to retire with full pensions three years earlier than normal. Children with disabilities have the right to full participation in society, including schooling treatment and rehabilitation facilities.
The Code on the Social Protection of the Population of Turkmenistan has a special chapter on persons with disabilities, which includes provisions on accessibility, reconstruction of buildings and social infrastructure, and media and information opportunities. Special equipment facilities, including telephone links in households, are provided. Free access to sports facilities and special sporting items are provided locally. People with disabilities get a listed set of services, including monetary benefits of which the size increased on average by 10 percent on an annual basis. Transitioning to 12-year compulsory education system allowed Turkmenistan to make decisive steps to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers need additional skills and knowledge on child and adolescent development and on interactive methodologies which take into account learning needs of all girls and boys, including those with disabilities. According to the obtained data practices of inclusion in Turkmenistan are actively carried out at child-friendly (benevolent) schools, and special schools that provide support to high needs students, three of which are for children with diminished hearing or non-congenitally deaf children.
Another is for blind and weak-sighted children; the remaining ten are for mentally and physically handicapped children. According to the literature review many efforts has been done to provide children with difficulties with all provisions. In order to nurture their constant vocation labour skills, to organize their living, thinking and speaking ways compatible with rehabilitation tendency measures, and finally to make them become rightful members of the society, more focus is given on childhood development. The findings revealed that IE started to be implemented in tertiary education, providing essential resources and technological assistance for students with disabilities Textiles College in Ashgabat. Wilkins and Lambert (2005) believed that the implementation of specific institutional funding for tertiary students with disability, and the fact that their campus was relatively new and built with accessible buildings, meant that attitudinal barriers, and the need for flexible teaching and assessment practices, were the main issues for their institution.
Moreover, Turkmenistan started to implement new curriculum by using improved teaching techniques at the Pedagogical Schools and universities. Beside above mentioned national ECD Strategy for 2020–2025 aims to ensure comprehensive service provision for children with disabilities and their families towards their social inclusion for equitably enjoying quality of inclusive education and learning opportunities that develop their competencies and foster their well-being.
References:
- Fitz, J. Implementation research and education policy: Practice and prospects. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Black well publishers (2001)
- Hodkinson, A. (2006). Conceptions and misconceptions of inclusive educationone year on: A tritical analysis of qualified teachers' knowledge and understanding of inclusion. Research in Education, 76, 43–55 Hunt, P.F. (2011).
