In another step toward our quest to improve the Parakar School for Children with Disabilities, 30 teachers recently completed nine months of professional development training during which they focused on teaching methods for vocational training and life skills for children with special needs.
Strengthening the capacity of Parakar’s staff is a major piece in the larger picture of our five-year project to improve this school. In addition, the school's newly-developed vocational training center was named after supporters James and Marta Batmasian in recognition of their generosity and care. Renovations of the rest of the school are still in process; most recently its physical therapy center was made possible by the Friends of Gavar Special School.
Parakar’s Director Lusine Adamyan said that such training has not only created an environment that nurtures learning but also help to create a foundation in which youth with disabilities can learn life skills. Teachers can now better formulate each child’s educational plan based on their desires and capacity for facing life’s challenges.
"Now we are certain that this educational complex will serve both vocational students as well as those with special needs,” said FAR Program Director Margarit Piliposyan. “Our goal with Parakar is to establish a pilot model that will be more effective in ensuring inclusive education in many similareducational institutions around the country.”