INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
trainers (TOT) workshops, to improve support services in schools across seven provinces of the country.The measure was taken in line with
the recently introduced national initiative, SIRAT (Integrated System for Development and Education).The goal is to give all students,
including children with disabilities, the chance to benefit from improved support in mainstream schools and services such as early
detection, timely intervention, and an effective referral system.Some 750 selected teachers from all over the country participated in SIRAT
TOT workshops, which were held from June 13 to August 3.The workshops, supported financially by the European Union, were held in Khorasan
Razavi, Kerman, Isfahan, Fars, Tehran, Kermanshah, Ardabil, and Mazandaran provinces.The next phase will involve these educators conducting
cascade training sessions within their respective provinces and districts.The objective is to equip approximately 360,000 primary-level
teachers with comprehensive knowledge about SIRAT.Furthermore, these mainstream teachers will be trained to effectively identify, intervene,
and facilitate referrals to specialized services for children with disabilities, while preventing stigmatization and labeling, the UNICEF
website announced in a press release on August 27.As a result, primary school students, who are the main beneficiaries of this plan, receive
enhanced individual support at school tailored to their developmental needs.This assistance will be offered within the school environment
and, if necessary, through comprehensive centers that offer specialized support, the report said.Based on the latest official statistics
published in 2021, 142,000 students with disabilities were enrolled in formal education; including 65,000 students with disabilities who
study in inclusive mainstream schools.Despite the significant growth in the number of inclusive schools (20 percent of total schools),
support the inclusiveness of public services for children with disabilities, through measures such as improving physical accessibility and
providing accessible educational resources in public schools
UNICEF also supports targeted interventions such as providing tools and assistive technologies and training teachers in special education
schools with the aim of removing the barriers that children with disabilities face.UNICEF, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, is
trying to provide quality, inclusive education for all children.The focus is on bolstering disability inclusion within mainstream services
through measures like enhancing physical accessibility and providing educational resources within mainstream schools.Additionally, UNICEF is
devising targeted interventions specifically aimed at removing barriers faced by children with disabilities, such as providing assistive
