The Association of Special Education Specialists of Montenegro asked the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation Anđela Jakšić Stojanović to dismiss the director of the Resource Center "1. June" to Maja Kalezić due to parents' complaints and, as they claim, the collapse of the institution's reputation.
Kalezić did not advertise in connection with the initiative.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MPNI) told "Vijesta" that they and the Education Inspectorate have not yet received the initiative of the Montenegrin Special Education Society for action, but that in the meantime several initiatives have been submitted to start the procedure of official inspection in the Ju. resource center for education and training "June 1" Podgorica, which mainly related to the organization of educational work, the work of management, management and professional bodies in the institution.
"In connection with the above, inspection supervision procedures were initiated, so that the educational inspectors carried out inspection supervision and, within their competences, determined certain irregularities in relation to the prescribed provisions of the Law on Education and Raising Children with Special Educational Needs, about which they made Minutes of inspection supervision, on the basis of which administrative measures and actions will be taken in accordance with the law. In the further procedure, based on established irregularities, educational inspectors are obliged to propose dismissal to the director of the institution in addition to administrative measures and actions in accordance with the Law on Educational Inspection. in the cases determined by the General Law on Education, which they will do in the end," said the MPNI.
In a letter from the professional association of special education teachers, which has over 90 members, submitted to "Vijesti", it is stated that they are seriously concerned about the current situation in the Resource Center, under the leadership of the current director.
"Ms. Kalezić, as a graduate biologist, does not have professional qualifications in the field of special education and rehabilitation and is not able to respond to the specific and complex needs of children with developmental disabilities. During the previous period, we received numerous complaints from parents about the inadequate management of the institution, misunderstanding of the essence of the problem, misleading parents and giving incorrect information, which damaged the reputation of this institution and our fellow special education teachers", according to the letter signed by the president of the Society of Special Education Svetlana Vukašinović.
It also says that in that professional association they believe that the positions of directors of resource centers must be covered by special education teachers - experts who best understand the specific needs of our children and thus can ensure quality and adequate support for children and their families.
"We emphasize that this issue is extremely sensitive because it refers to the most vulnerable category of children in Montenegro, and therefore it is of crucial importance to strictly take care of who is placed at the head of such institutions. We believe that in order to preserve the quality of services and the reputation of the institution, it is of crucial importance that the director of the resource center be a qualified specialist - defectologist".
On the other hand, part of the employees of the Resource Center claim that to the complaints of "a small number of special education teachers and parents who these days are very offensively and jointly defaming the reputation of the employees and urgently demand the dismissal of the current director, there is another side, the larger half, as the teachers in question, teachers, special education teachers and support staff who do not agree at all and you must not put us in the same basket".
"On the contrary, our school finally looks like an educational institution, and not a private property, as it was in the previous 20 years. We certainly don't have dementia, and we remember very well how there was nothing transparent back then, and what benefits a certain group of people enjoyed," states the letter signed by school board member and art professor Mirko Dragović, special education teachers Sara Pantović, Maja Pantović, Ljubomir Peruničić, physical education teacher Zoran Žižić, music teacher Darko Marković, porter Dijana Miranović and driver Milan Jovanović.
They also assessed that a group of people has been working to persecute the new director from the very beginning and that they will not be immune to name-calling.
The Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms recently determined that the Ministry of Education, the Institute for Education and the Resource Center "1. June" did not properly deal with the quality of education, nor with improving the conditions in which children with special educational needs attend classes and spend time in that institution.
This, among other things, is stated in the opinion of the protector of human rights and freedoms (ombudsman) after the procedure, which was initiated by the NGO "Niste sami", which consists of parents of children from "1. of June".
The Protector is of the opinion that such action by the authorities is not in accordance with the obligations of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, or national legislation.
The NGO "Niste sami" sent the ombudsman an initiative for action, citing various aspects of violations of students' rights, as well as deficiencies in the conditions for working with children who attend classes in RC "1. June" in Podgorica.
In the opinion, their address is quoted in its entirety and they state, among other things, that their children are "discriminated against by the school administration, as well as some employed educators, teachers, professional associates, highly specialized specialists and the management of the Resource Center".
According to the opinion of the guardian of the institution, there are 137 students, and in various ways 60 parents separated their opinion in relation to the protest letter, while four parents specifically expressed themselves and contested the statements from the address of the NGO "You are not alone".
Part of the parents demanded an immediate response from the authorities, the dismissal of the director Kalezić, and appealed to the Education Inspectorate, which determined various aspects of violation of students' rights and deficiencies in working conditions.
Among other things, it was established that the members of the expert team, of which the director of the institution is a member, did not sign any of the submitted forms for the individual development and education plan (IROP) for the school year 2023/2024. year, that written evidence was not submitted that the expert team for the preparation, implementation, monitoring and adjustment of the IROP met for that school year, that evidence was not submitted that the institution informed the Institute of Education, the Professional Training Center and the Examination Center about the adopted IROP . They claim that no evidence has been provided that the parents of the students of the institution participate in the preparation, application, monitoring and adjustment of the IROP. The inspection also noted that the members of the professional team are not compliant with the Law on the Education of Children with Special Educational Needs, "because that team, according to the Annual Work Program, consists of the director of the institution." For this reason, as stated in the statement, the educational inspector will "propose to the school board of the institution the dismissal of the director because by not completing work tasks, she allowed a violation of Article 16, paragraph 4 and 5 of the Law on the Education of Children with Special Educational Needs".
In the meantime, the Act was amended, so the director of this institution is appointed and dismissed by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation.
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