• Submitted by: admin
• 01 / 06 / 2007

Cuba celebrated the 45 years of special education on the island Thursday at Dora Alonso School for the Autistic in this capital.

Educators were honored at the event as well as health specialists and family members known for taking the students on a path that allows them to develop their maximum potential, reports Granma newspaper.

A cultural presentation preceded the words of Cuban Education Minister Luis Ignacio Gomez, who said that only with the accomplishments in the Cuban educational system could such an achievement in special education be a reality.

The minister highlighted that nearly 15,000 professionals are working with some 44,000 children and teenagers with special education needs, and that, in some cases, they teach at the kid's homes. Gomez said there are currently 527 special education centers of varying levels in Cuba.

Meiber Vigil Perez, director of the Dora Alonso School for the Autistic, opened five years ago by Cuban President Fidel Castro, said integral attention for persons diagnosed with autism is an example of the what is called the pedagogy of diversity.

The recent cancellation of a stamp commemorating the 45th anniversary of special education in Cuba perpetuates an effort that continues to advance with tenderness and erases the image of an entire country with only eight such schools before the 1959 Revolution.

Source: ACN