Mother spends years fighting for son's proper education program
A Riga mother, Līga Rubežniece, has spent years fighting to get her son, who has speech impairments, placed in the correct education program after he was effectively taught under a curriculum meant for children with intellectual disabilities. This summer she finally secured a switch to a new school.
Since 2009, when her son Kristaps was born, Riga resident Līga Rubežniece has been fighting for her son's right to an education suited to his needs. Kristaps was born with a cleft lip and underwent surgery immediately, but speech problems persisted. Specialists who assessed him before school confirmed he needed a special education program designed for children with speech and language impairments.
However, according to his mother, in practice Kristaps ended up following a different curriculum — one intended for children with intellectual disabilities. Līga says her son was assigned education program code 58, despite not having an intellectual disability. She believes this meant he did not receive an appropriate level of education, was frequently left without supervision during lessons, and gradually withdrew into himself.
Difficulties began before school
Līga says the problems started even earlier — during the three years Kristaps attended a preschool speech-therapy institution, where, in her account, he did not receive all the necessary support and was labeled early on.
A new school secured
After a prolonged struggle, this summer Līga finally managed to have both the curriculum and the school changed. Kristaps now attends a school he goes to without anxiety and where, according to his mother, actual learning takes place. Līga hopes it may still be possible to make up for at least some of the lost educational progress.
She notes that inclusive education was promised for her son on paper, but in daily practice he was left without real support. She has raised the issue with the Ombudsman's Office, the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Children's Rights, the State Education Quality Service, the Ministry of Education and Science, and the State Police, but says she has not received any response from these institutions.
