Minsk, 29 January. Education Ministry held board meeting to discuss results received after studying activities of special boarding schools.

Education Minister Andrei Ivanets addressed participants with welcoming speech. He noted that one of the key achievements of the national education system is complex system to support children with special developmental needs on all stages of their development from childhood to vocational training.

“Education code of the Republic of Belarus” provides for the rights of children with special developmental needs to receive education in special conditions which is an integral part of availability and quality of special education, Ivanets stressed.

The board gave its strong focus to the following aspects:

-         More than 74 % of children with special needs study in terms of integrated learning and upbringing with inclusive practices applied by teachers.

-         Special education system includes 141 remedial education and rehabilitation centers, 47 special kindergartens and 46 special schools and boarding schools which act as resource centers for work with all categories of special needs.

-         Based on the results of a review of the performance of special boarding schools in 2025, priority areas for improvement were identified: institutional subordination, student recruitment, the organization of the educational process for children with autism spectrum disorders and moderate intellectual disabilities, development of advanced social and vocational training classes.

At the meeting, presentations were made by leaders and specialists from the Ministry of Education, the Academy of Education, regional executive committee education departments as well as special education institutions. Regional practices for developing the special education system, issues of staffing quality education, and innovative approaches to student social adaptation, including the use of the "World Around Us" mobile app, were presented.

The meeting participants—representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Academy of Education, regional and district executive committee education departments, heads of special education institutions, and members of parliament discussed a set of measures to further develop the special education network in the regions and improve the effectiveness of special boarding schools as key elements of the support system for children with disabilities.

Following the meeting, decisions were made aimed at strengthening the material and technical base of institutions, improving methodological support, and expanding opportunities for professional development for graduates of special boarding schools.