The minister for education of the Federal State of Lower Saxony, Elisabeth Heister-Neumann, has suggested to discuss the development of special education in Lower Saxony in the Committee for Culture and Education of the State Parliament. The debate should take into account the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Karin Evers-Meyer, Federal Commissioner for the Needs of Persons with Disabilities, and Karl Finke, Lower Saxony’s State Commissioner for the Needs of Persons with Disabilities, welcomed this proposal.

Karin Evers-Meyer and Karl Finke demanded the further development of inclusive schools. The politicians suggested to decide on more inclusive schooling. A decision on the future school structure in Lower Saxony would be a chance to eventually establish more room for common instruction of children with and without disabilities, said Finke. He is convinced that individual assistance in the context of regular schools will be to the benefit of all pupils.

Karin Evers-Meyer further pointed out that the new UN Convention required an inclusive school for everybody. In her opinion inclusion means that disabled and non-disabled children should be taught jointly and assisted individually. With an integration rate of about 15 per cent across Europe, Germany is in one of the last places. In her opinion, the examples of other countries with integration ratios of more than 80 per cent demonstrate what can be achieved.

According to Evers-Meyer, it should be ensured that disabled and non-disabled children learn together. This also menas buildings without barriers. She proposed to include the necessary funding into the overall economic recovery plan. In addition, pedagogical approaches and vocational training for teachers should be revised and the schools better equipped. Karin Evers-Meyer concludes: “The separation of school children because of a disability, as it is still often practiced in Germany, is discriminatory and a discredit to our country.”