According to the children's rights ombudsman in the Pavlodar region, the incident that occurred on December 17 led to administrative responsibility for the mother of the first-grader. She was fined 20 MRP under Article 127 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which concerns the failure to fulfill duties in the upbringing and protection of minors' rights.
“The situation was reviewed by the city commission on juvenile affairs, which proposed to take measures regarding the six-year-old girl with special educational needs and her legal representative, as the child bit the teaching assistant, who then called an ambulance and the police,” explained Shakeneva.
Mother's Opinion
Nadezhda, the girl's mother, stated on air that she believes they are trying to force her to transfer her daughter to home schooling. The teaching assistant was assigned to the girl based on the conclusion of the city psychological-medical-pedagogical commission (PMPC).
“My daughter is adequate, she can talk, read, and write, and I see no grounds for transferring her to home schooling. She has the right to learn in society. She is now six and a half, she is in the first grade, and based on the PMPC conclusion, she is studying under the general education program with the support of a teaching assistant,” Nadezhda said.
Role of the Teaching Assistant
According to Nadezhda, her daughter was complained about at school for running around the classroom, refusing to learn, and even lying under the desk.
Saule Shakeneva noted that the teaching assistant should be aware that a child with special educational needs may sometimes exhibit aggression, and it is their task to regulate behavior and find an approach to their charges.
During the broadcast, parents of children with special needs expressed dissatisfaction, stating that similar incidents occur in other educational institutions across the country.
The regional children's rights ombudsman promised to closely monitor the situation and visit School No. 11, where the incident occurred, to clarify all circumstances.
Earlier, Majilis deputy Irina Smirnova noted that insufficient attention is paid in Kazakhstan to fostering a tolerant attitude towards children with autism and emphasized the importance of collaborative work between specialists and parents in this area.
