Resolution on the integration of handicapped children in the Brussels I European School

The European Parliament,

A.whereas the right to education is recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

B.having regard to the United Nations Declaration of 1993 on equal opportunities for the disabled, establishing that the education of handicapped children must form an integral part of the education system,

C.having regard to the conclusions of the Council of Education Ministers (87/C211/01) of 14 May 1987 on European cooperation on the integration of handicapped children in schools,

D.having regard to Council Decision 88/231/EEC of 18 April 1988 setting up the second HELIOS Programme,

E.having regard to the Resolution (90/C162/02) of the Council of Education Ministers of 31 May 1990 on the integration of disabled children and young people in ordinary education systems,

F.having regard to the Convention defining the Statute of the European Schools, and in particular Article 4(7), which establishes the principle of adopting suitable measures to facilitate the integration of children with special educational needs,

G.having regard to the substantial contribution of the European Union to the European Schools budget,

1.Regrets that, unlike the structures set up in the Member States, the Brussels I European School has not yet developed standard criteria for the admission, assessment, graduation and advancement through school of disabled children;

2.Deplores the distress suffered by a physically handicapped child, despite his efforts, the satisfactory results obtained in his previous studies and the constant support or his teachers, factors which do not appear to tally with the attitude of the school management;

4.Calls on the Council of Ministers and the Member States to urge their representatives on the Board of Governors of the European Schools to establish a system of continuous coordination among teachers and speech therapists and periodic coordination among all teachers;

5.Calls on the Commission to see that its representative on the Board of Governors of the European schools takes urgent action to ensure that curricula are adjusted as soon as possible both for the pupil in question and all other pupils in the same situation;

6.Calls on the Board of Governors to set up and use all available computer resources to prepare this type of pupil;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council of Ministers, the Education Ministers, the Board of Governors of the European Schools and the Headmaster of the Brussels I European School.