Mobility in Slovenia, August 2021 -C13 »Insight into examples of good practice of Slovenian institutions for education for people with special needs - Change is the end result of all true learning«

As part of the Erasmus+ Project I.D.E.A. Together we can, we attended the final mobility to Slovenia, the main coordinator country. Activities in Slovenia took place from the 23rd to the 27th August, 2021, with participants from Turkey, Croatia and Slovenia. The locations of the mobility were Ptuj, Kamnik, Ljubljana and Portorož.

After the welcome event at the School Dr. Ljudevita Pivka in Ptuj, the school Headmistress gave us a detailed presentation of the work of her institution and the special needs students’ education system in Slovenia. We were given a tour of the school and saw the spaces furnished for the needs of children with developmental difficulties. We were impressed by the excellent furnishing equipment in the classrooms, as well as by the creativity of teachers evident in the decorations of the classrooms and the hallways. Following the tour of the school, we were met by the Town Mayor, Mrs Nuška Gajšek, at the Town Hall, and would like to express our special appreciation for her cordiality.

In the course of the mobility we visited the Centre for Education and Rehabilitation of Physically Handicapped Children and Adolescents in Kamnik, near Ljubljana. Some of the children who are being educated there are placed in dorms, and some come to attend classes by organised transportation. One of the main goals of the work of the Centre is to enable their students with physical handicaps to achieve maximum autonomy in their lives. The dorm includes specially furnished suites that enable their occupants to function independently.

In Ljubljana we visited the IRIS Centre for blind and visually impaired persons. We had a very special experience of “Lunch in the Dark” and had the opportunity to learn more about communication with and assisting the blind in the outdoor facilities of the Centre.

The final part of the mobility was dedicated to outdoor learning. We visited the Burja Centre in Portorož. The Slovenian Ministry of Education gives special attention and financial support to the outdoor learning programmes for all students, and the space is adapted for children with developmental difficulties.

In addition to all of the professional and educational content of the mobility, we also had the opportunity to see some of the outstanding natural landmarks of Slovenia, and would like to mention the exceptional, incomparable experience of the Bled Lake and the Postojna Cave.

We would like to state our sadness that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not all of the project partners could attend the mobility to Slovenia. It has given us a very valuable insight into the practices of working with children with developmental difficulties. We are particularly grateful to the staff of the School Dr. Ljudevita Pivka and the main coordinator Mrs Tanja Nikolovski for the well-chosen activities.

Once again, thank you for all your hard work and the effort you put into making the final event of the Project a valuable and memorable one.

Team from Primary school Oton Iveković, Zagreb, Croatia

Mrs. Biserka Ščurić

Mrs. Lana Trojnar

Mrs. Zlata Katavić