Former Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly says an initiative which provided more than 400 student aides to support children with special needs in mainstream schools has been shelved.
Gadsby-Dolly said the previous administration had partnered with the On-the-Job Training programme to provide student aides for children requiring additional support.
She said the programme formed part of a wider strategy targeting vulnerable students and schools requiring additional intervention.
According to Gadsby-Dolly, more than 400 student aides had been provided under the arrangement.
She claimed that initiative has now been “totally shelved”.
The former minister questioned how children living with disabilities who require an aide are expected to participate fully in mainstream education without that support.
She called on the Ministry of Education to explain what alternative arrangements have been implemented for affected students.
The statements were made by Gadsby-Dolly at the Opposition press conference and represent her account of changes within the education system.
