22.10.2015  The opening of «NovSU — the University of Equal Opportunities for All» Informational Day

On 21 October, the NovSU in cooperation with the Consulate General of Sweden in St. Petersburg and Early Intervention Institute in St. Petersburg held the Information Day «NovSU — the University of Equal Opportunities for All». This event was organized to promote the development of inclusive educational environment at the university, to strengthen international cooperation in the field of inclusive education, and disseminate the results of TEMPUS project "Training of Teachers and Educational Managers for Work with Diversity Groups and Organizations".

At 10 a.m., the Day was opened by Anatoly Gavrikov, the president of NovSU. He pointed out that the event was of great public importance and that it would help to demonstrate the opportunities of NovSU as the accessible university for all. «This is our goal. The educational institutions have special mission — to care about people with disabilities», — he said. Victor Weber, the rector of NovSU, defined what exactly was being done in order to achieve that goal: «NovSU conjointly with the University of Hildesheim managed to win TEMPUS grant. We purchased necessary equipment and supplied our Centre for Inclusive Education with it. Now, we have a very important problem to solve — to train teachers for working with this category of students. Of course, creating the same conditions for all groups is technically very complicated. That is why we accentuate our attention on online education… The University can share its experience in it too. And it is also important to understand, what other tasks we have today». 

Louise Morsing, Consul Responsible for issues concerning Sweden promotion, culture, information, education and research also greeted the participants of the Day. She said that it was her first time in Veliky Novgorod and that she was happy to see the town, that is so historically rich. She emphasized that international cooperation in cultural and public aspects was very important for Sweden, especially concerning inclusion. Sweden places high emphasis on creation of equal rights and opportunities for all. Ms Morsing knows that inclusion is also one of the priority areas for NovSU and she is glad to learn about its experience in this sphere.

Larisa Samarina, the head of Early Intervention Institute, underscored that while working in that area, it was important to remember not only about the technical accomplishments, but also about our own attitude to people with disabilities. 

The Day continued with reports about inclusion at the university. The participants of the Day visited a photo exhibition and an exhibition of products, designed specifically for people with disabilities. Scientists from Sweden, Saint Petersburg and NovSU will give master classes after lunch.

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