While engaged in distance learning, students with special educational needs are taught by teachers with recommendations specifically developed by the Ministry

Supporting the education of students with special educational needs is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, given the current situation. The aim of the Ministry is to enable the teachers of various subjects to actively engage with students with special educational needs in accordance with their needs and maintain a strong emotional and social connection with them.

To this end, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport has developed the following recommendations:

Members of the Ministry's multidisciplinary team will assist special teachers in planning activities for each student with special educational needs that will be selected from the individual curriculum. New short-term goals and activities can also be created in collaboration with subject teachers and parents.

Furthermore, It proves to be more effective if special teachers balance their approach to academic and cognitive skills development activities, such as remotely teaching tasks such as promoting math, reading, writing, coupled with various cognitive skills, as well introducing  fun, moving activities that involve cutting, scrubbing and so forth. Also, assignments may involve seeing a relevant subject animation, followed by creating a corresponding painting, as well as making handmade items, knitting, etc.

Whilst engaging students with special educational needs in a remote learning structure, it is very important to involve the parents in the process. The role of psychologists and special educators is vital in communicating with parents.

Members of the multidisciplinary team of the ministry periodically contact special teachers and ask them for feedback and more counseling.

It needs to be mentioned, that Teleskola project, one of the modes of distance learning, will fully support the education of students with special educational needs, as all lessons are accompanied by a gesture translator. Considering the nature of the project, Teleskola, will be of great assistance for the visually impaired students, who will be able to listen to the lessons. Having said this, it is crucially important that video clips, pictures and any visual materials shown during the lesson are orally explained by the teacher (audio description).

Within the scope of Teleskola project, it is also planned to record short video clips for students with special educational needs who have difficulty with academic and cognitive skills. Video tutorials include recommendations for developing fine motor skills, perception, attention, memory, and thinking. These video clips will be intended for parents to support the development of students with disabilities through the use of family resources.

Moreover, Teleskola will also be important for those with learning disabilities (dyslexia, ADHD), as the methodology of the lessons will be both oral and visual. Additionally, the project is a given for the homeless children, who spend most of their days at day care centers.

As you may know, the Prime Minister-led Interagency Coordination Council has decided to temporarily suspend all learning activities for the prevention of coronavirus. The Council instructed the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia to maximize access to distance learning in order to facilitate the teaching-learning process. The joint project of the Ministry and the First Channel of Georgia Teleskola serves to accomplish this precise task.