YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the midfielder of Manchester United, who is also a goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF, made an online address on the occasion of the new academic year, September 1, calling on the society to welcome children with disabilities in educational institutions and communities, emphasizing the significance of inclusive education for vulnerable children.

The video shows Mkhitaryan’s June meeting with a group of children, who tell the football superstar about their education, dreams and problems.

“Every child regardless of his or her abilities has the right for quality inclusive education”, Mkhitaryan says in the video. “It is the abilities of the child, and not the inability, that decide what achievements the child can have in life”.

UNICEF Armenia representative Tanja Radocaj mentioned that Armenia has reached remarkable results in expanding inclusive education. Nevertheless, there are still many things to be done in increasing the training of schools, parents and communities in this regard.

“In UNICEF, we know that children with disabilities can do wonderful things, is they are given a chance. Like anyone else, they too have the same right to education”, she said.

As of 2017, there are 208 inclusive schools in Armenia, and this number is gradually growing.