The conference, which takes place as part of the national priority of the Polish presidency in the field of education, aims to provide a space for discussion between experts and practitioners on the implementation of inclusive education. It will provide an excellent opportunity to complement the policy discussions held during the informal meeting of Ministers of Education organised under the Polish Presidency in Warsaw in January 2025.
The conference will provide an overview of European and national experiences in the field of implementing inclusive education, provide a room for discussion on actions that can support European countries in developing their education systems to provide quality education to children and young people with different educational needs.
Participants of the discussions
- representatives of ministries of the 27 EU member states,
- representatives of the European Commission,
- experts of international organisations (EU Agency for Inclusive Education, UNICEF, UNESCO, OECD),
- teaching and non-teaching staff in pre-schools and schools,
- staff of pre-schools and schools,
- managing authorities of pre-schools and schools,
- universities,
- government administration
- local government administration,
- children, young people
- parents,
- representatives of non-governmental organisations.
The talks will address the implementation of inclusive education using existing resources at European and national level.
Specific topics
- early inclusive care and education,
- effective working with diverse groups,
- inclusive vocational training systems,
- support in entering the labour market,
- staff preparation for inclusive education,
- intra- and inter-sectoral cooperation,
- monitoring the quality of inclusive education,
- empowerment of children and pupils in the learning process,
- modern technologies in inclusive education.
Agenda
Sunday, 16 March
- Arrival of participants – welcoming activities in Copernicus Science Centre
Monday, 17 March
- 8.00 Registration
- 9.00 Official opening of the Conference
- Joanna Mucha, Secretary of State, Ministry of National Education, Republic of Poland
- Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture; European Commission – video message
- Monika Horna-Cieślak, Ombudsman for the Rights of Children
- Welcoming by the co-organizers:
- Mirosław Marczewski, Director-General, Foundation for the Development of the Education System
- Renata Kaznowska, Vice Mayor of the city of Warsaw
- Robert Firmhofer, Director of the Copernicus Science Centre Warsaw
- 9.40 Keynote speeches
- Power speech – Agata Roczniak, President of the Diversum Foundation
- Dr Joao Costa, Director of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education: How to bridge the policy – practice gap: recommendation from the European Agency’s work with member countries
- Prof. Maciej Jakubowski, Director of the Educational Research Institute in Warsaw: Building evidence to support inclusion-oriented policies
- 10.00 Family photo
- 11.00 Coffee break
- 11.30 Parallel expert sessions – Practical approaches to ensure inclusive early childhood and school education
- Inclusive early childhood education and care
- Inter- and cross-sectoral cooperation
- Education in diverse classrooms
- Including learners’ and families’ voices into education process
- Future of Erasmus+ – how to make the Programme more inclusive?
- 13.30 Lunch
- 14.50 Parallel expert sessions – Practical approaches to ensure inclusive early childhood and school education
- Career without barriers
- Staff preparation for inclusive education
- Quality monitoring and effective education for all
- New technologies for inclusive education
- 19.00 Gala Dinner in the Royal Castle
Tuesday, 18 March
- 9.00 welcome coffee, an opportunity to review the workshop session summaries (visual notes) and exchange experiences, as well as visit the stands of FRSE, the Office of the City of Warsaw, IBE, CNK, and ORE
- 9.30 We make inclusion happen!
- Welcome speech – Barbarba Nowacka, Minister of Education, Republic of Poland
- 9.45 Plenary session
- Keynote speech – Regina De Dominicis, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF
- Plenary session:
- Mental health and well-being as a foundation for school success – creating supportive environments for learners and teachers
- Presentation of the results of the work of European Education Area (EEA) Working groups
- Oana Felecan, Policy officer in charge of equity and wellbeing at school, European Commission: Road map for ensuring school success for all Roadmap for ensuring school success for all
- Prof. Baiba Martinsone, University of Latvia: Guidelines on wellbeing at school for policy makers and school leaders Guidelines
- Dr Noémie Le Donné, Senior Project Manager, Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), OECD: How to turn schools into hubs for Social and Emotional Learning
- Q&A from the audience
- 11.20 Coffee break
- 11.50 Systemic examples
- Bogdan Cristescu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Romania: Ensuring inclusive education for Roma children
- Claire Bey, Head of the Health and Social Action Office, General Directorate for School Education, Ministry of National Education and Youth, Republic of France: Promoting social and emotional competencies: a systemic approach
- Paulina Piechna-Więckiewicz, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of National Education, Republic of Poland: Building support networks for learners based on school peer volunteering
- Q&A from the audience
- 13.10 Summary of the conference
- Joanna Mucha, Secretary of State, Ministry of National Education, Republic of Poland
- 13.25 Lunch