Parents of a school in Pristina push students to boycott classes, demand the removal of an autistic student

A third-grade student with autism at the "Pavarësia" Primary School in the capital has been finding the classroom almost empty for months now.

This is because the parents of her peers, according to Dukagjini's sources, have continuously boycotted classes, demanding that this child with autism be removed from the classroom.

For this, the Parents' Council held a meeting this afternoon, but their chairman denied the allegations.

"First of all, there was no request for removal. We had a meeting with the parents of that class, they stated that they did not have a request for the child to be removed. They had complaints about some concerns, we directed them to the school. No, it is not true that there was a boycott, the parents' concerns will go to the Municipal Directorate of Education and the Steering Council," said Bujar Pervetica, chairman of the Parents' Council.

The school principal was also unanimous in his concerns.

"The "Pavarësia" School has in its vision the principle of inclusiveness, which means that in this institution all students are treated with deep respect. In no way does it come to mind that the school would expel such students. I would not like to discuss other comments," said Halil Brahaj, director of the "Pavarësia" SHFMU.

The television station also contacted the student's mother, but she did not want to comment until a decision was made, but she confirmed to Dukagjini that the parents of other children in the class have been openly expressing their dissatisfaction for some time.

Autism is not a disease but a developmental disorder, and by law in Kosovo, but also by the International Convention, education is guaranteed to all children without discrimination.

One such case occurred years ago in North Macedonia when parents boycotted classes to demand that a child with Down syndrome be excluded from the class, which made international news. /Dukagjini/