The Movement in Favour of Rights for Persons with a Disability supports the request of the Down’s Syndrome Association for the need of further education to people who have intellectual disability.

With regard to the education of those with intellectual disability, especially with regard to those who, due to their condition, need more time to learn and have the ability to do so, we have a situation where these people are being treated less favourably than their peers.

Our Education Act says it all:

“It is the duty of the State to promote education and instruction, to ensure the existence of a system of schools and institutions accessible to all Maltese citizens catering for the full development of the whole personality including the ability of every person to work; and to provide for such schools and institutions where these do not exist.”

Our education system is not catering for the full development of the whole personality of the people who have intellectual disability.

The Movement has been hammering away at this fact for years now and nothing has been done about it.

We have an Equal Opportunities Act! This is the European Year for Equal Opportunities! At the beginning of the year, Brussels launched this year of activities that aims to inform European citizens of their right to non-discrimination and equal treatment and to promote equal opportunities!

Despite all our efforts for “equal opportunities” for our children, they are still being discriminated against by being deprived of the further education that they most certainly need.

Grace Zerafa

Marthese Mugliette

Anne Marie Galea Naudi

Phyllis Portelli

for Movement in Favour of Persons with a Disability