Parents and associations representing children with disabilities made serious complaints to the education committee on Tuesday over the refusal of some private schools to accept children with disabilities.
Some private schools, mainly at the primary and pre-primary level, have turned away children with disabilities by citing internal regulations and their right to select students, the committee heard.
A father of a child with Down syndrome shared his experience, saying a private nursery refused to accept his son several years ago because of the syndrome.
The issue prompted a reaction from MPs and attendees, who called on the education ministry to carry out the necessary checks.
Associations asked for the operating licences of schools that discriminate against children in violation of European and international conventions to be suspended.
The committee discussion focused on the fact that school escorts are not provided for children who attend private schools and need them due to various difficulties they face.
One aspect raised by MPs was cases where private schools do not even allow parents to pay for escorts themselves so their children can have them during the school day.
The education ministry said that if the relevant committees examining children’s applications approve an escort for a state school, the state provides it, unlike for private schools.
The Special Education Committees can certify that a child at a private school needs an escort, but there is no provision for financial coverage.
The ministry added that private schools are obliged to inform about the services they provide to students and to offer facilities that have no cost. This means they do not cover the cost of an escort.
Following this finding came reports that some private schools prohibit parents from covering the cost themselves so their children who need escorts can have them, with the committee noting that this constitutes another form of discrimination against children or even forces them to leave their school.
The representative of the Private Schools Association, Giorgos Kritikos, said, amongst other things, that the only admission criterion for secondary schools is examinations and that other operational matters are governed by internal regulations.
These regulations, if they undergo changes, must be submitted to the education minister for relevant approvals.
Kritikos also noted that this issue has an economic dimension, as the state saves approximately €10,000-€15,000 for each student attending private education, so the least it can do is provide financial support for school escorts for children who need them.
The education committee asked the education ministry to examine this gap and return with a proposal to regulate it, if feasible.
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