"How good that everyone is different!"

For the fifth time, key influencers and those responsible for integration and school inclusion, as well as interested colleagues and speakers from the Saxon Education Agency from all over Saxony, are gathering at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The title of this year’s 5th ZINT Workshop, “How Good It Is That Everyone Is Different! – School Inclusion in Saxony: Between Aspiration and Reality,” highlights the tension under which teachers from all types of schools seek to advance inclusive school development in the Free State of Saxony.

The demand to adopt an “inclusive” approach is being made with increasing persistence of all educational institutions, in line with the educational policy directions set following the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN 2006; 2008).

With the enshrinement of inclusion as a goal of school development in the new School Act, § 1, subsection 7, the requirements for teachers at all types of schools are changing and expanding. To provide schools with even good professional guidance, advice, and support on this path, the ZINT project evolved from 2008 to 2017 into a concept for professional and collaborative support, development-oriented counseling, and in-service professional development for schools and educators, both in terms of content and structure. The goal is to sustainably guide and promote the process of inclusive school and instructional development in Saxony. Counseling, professional development, and training opportunities are designed to help successfully address the changing demands of everyday school life.

That is why this year we want to take our cue from the founder of essay writing, Michel de Montaigne (1532–1599), who said: “Having experiences is not sufficient—one must also weigh them, organize them, process them, and draw the right conclusions from them.” We offer you our support in this endeavor.

You can find the complete program here.