Issues concerning students with special needs

The City of Hafnarfjörður today hosted a seminar at Hásölum (the parish hall of Hafnarfjörður Church) on special provisions in primary schools and the affairs of pupils with special needs. Around 150 individuals from among parents, teachers, occupational therapists, school leaders and other interest groups attended the conference, listened to presentations and took part in a discussion about the importance of meeting the learning needs of all pupils in day-to-day primary school work.

Inclusive education, the education and human rights of children, and proposals for the provision of special measures were discussed, in addition to hearing the experiences of pupils, parents and other interest groups. Working groups submitted their perspectives at the end of the conference, which will be compiled and used to determine the next steps with the aim of making a good school system even better. Trausti Þorsteinsson, former Director of Education for the City of Akureyri, spoke about teachers in inclusive schools, and Margrét María Sigurðardóttir, the Children's Ombudsman, spoke about the education and human rights of children. A working group then presented proposals on the provision of special provisions and the arrangement of support for children with special needs in Hafnarfjörður's primary schools. With the seminar, the City of Hafnarfjörður aimed to listen to and get a better feel for the viewpoints of all interest groups regarding the implementation of school activities in Hafnarfjörður's primary schools, specifically to enhance the quality of the school's work and to gather further perspectives for its development.