NationStates Jolt Archive

Hello!

I am writing to ask for your approvals for the UN proposal "Mandatory Special Education." It is basically a proposal suggesting that all special needs children in the world should have the same educational opportunities as everyone else, regardless of physical or cognitive abilities.

As a close friend of a child with mental and physical disabilities, this proposal means a great deal to me. I would never have known her if not for her attending special education at my school -- she has benefited greatly from her schooling, both educationally and socially. That is why I believe this proposal should be turned into a resolution, for the good of children around the Nationstates world.

Of course, to read the full description of the proposal please search for "Mandatory Special Education" in the proposals database.

Your approvals would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Kay Lam
Minister of Internet Technology
Republic of Buffybots

Post your proposal here, please, and include the category and strength bits as well. It's so much easier to discuss with a copy handy.

Mandatory Special Education
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Human Rights

Strength: Significant

Proposed by: Buffybots

Description: There is no reason why some children in many industrialized nations are required to attend school up to a certain age except for special needs children. An argument can be made for any shortcomings physically or intellectually but the fact is every child, no matter how severe the disability, should be entitled to an education.

For this to happen, of course, a significant funding increase needs to be made in the special education area. But it is well worth it to ensure that every child with a disability is being offered the same opportunites as their non-disabled counterparts.

An argument can also be made in whether an education can do a child much good. However, the better argument is this -- what harm can it do to try?

Years ago, people assumed that if a child looks "crippled" on the outside, they are automatically unable to learn. Of course, today we know that is not the case -- for example, children with cerebral palsy can have the same intelligence level as a normal child without cerebral palsy. This realization would not be possible if all children with disabilities are automatically labelled as "unable to learn."

Even if the child is too handicapped intellectually to participate in the normal schooling process, he/she can benefit from the interaction of other people and will gain a new circle of friends and supporters -- "education" doesn't always mean learning, it can mean a child gaining a new experience he/she wouldn't have gained otherwise.

Mandatory schooling for special needs children has many more benefits -- the ones listed above are just a few possibilities from an infinite list.

The United States of WyattLand offers its full support for this resolution. The idea of all children, regardless of disability, having the entitlements to a quality education is a policy highly regarded and enforced by the courts and government of Wyattland since its birth. You have our full support.

President Spencer,
Region: Jordan
UN Delegate Assistant

Unfortunately, this proposal is little more than rhetoric. Special Education is laudible, of course, but UN proposals need to actually do something. I'm sure the regulars around here can help you re-write this.

Actually, this proposal is a bad idea. Keep in mind that in some nations, mine included after the last cut to education, the only form of actual formal education is boot camp. Other nations have special "reeducation" centers.

You need to rewrite it to state a nation must give all children equal opportunities for education instead of specifying they have to go to school. Otherwise, you may be forcing millions of children into being trained for war in academies they wouldn't even be entering in most cases yet.

I suggest you also need to add something that forces, for those nations that do have a school system, additional spending to develop programs to help those who are learning impaired.

The very definition of "Special Needs" implies to me that these children fall outside of the standard model. Thus, any one-size-fits-all proposal will fail to address them collectively. A child on active heart-lung life support, (or with a sunlight allergy, or with severe agoraphobia, etc.) would be required under this proposal to disrupt their physical routine in possibly life-threatening ways to follow a requirement to physically attend school. They might do far better with one-on-one tutoring or some other means of education.

While the intentions are good, the approach is not. Given the various education and human rights proposals already in existence, this strikes me as unnecessary from a rights perspective, and unnecessarily intrusive from a needs perspective. It will need a radical rebuild to get our support.

Mandatory Special Education
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

(snip)

Even if the child is too handicapped intellectually to participate in the normal schooling process, he/she can benefit from the interaction of other people and will gain a new circle of friends and supporters -- "education" doesn't always mean learning, it can mean a child gaining a new experience he/she wouldn't have gained otherwise.

Mandatory schooling for special needs children has many more benefits -- the ones listed above are just a few possibilities from an infinite list.

I have no problem with requiring schooling for special needs children, however if you are implying that it should be done along with those who are not special needs I am going to have to suggest that is not really suitable.

In a class of 30 pupils, one of whom has (for example) "emotional problems" (for want of a better phrase), the teacher would have to spend more time with that pupil than any other, which is not fair on the rest of the class. And there have been instances where classes have been disrupted and thrown in to chaos by the behaviour of one child, even if that child does not realise the problem they are causing.

So I would support this proposal if it would permit me to set up education centers sepcifically for children with these types of problems/conditions etc. I am not saying they should be marginalised, ignored or maltreated, but there is enough evidnece to show that trying to educate children with severe problems, or who lack the ability to learn what most schools would consider the basics, along side those who do not suffer from this, is a waste of the schools time, and ultimately detremental to both groups of children.

I'll say it straight away; you do not have our support.

We are in favour of giving everyone a decent education in The Black New World but, with the wording of this proposal, once people complete basic education they can opt to apply for further education, and if they are good enough get in. But if someone is not intellectually able they don’t get in. Under what I have seen so far people who are not intellectually able because of a disability would get in. That isn't fair.

Lady Desdemona of Merwell,
Senior UN representative,
The Black New World,
Delegate to The Order of The Valiant States