Inclusive Education : Some Justifications and

Provisions

Dr. Sankar Prasad Mohanty

Lecturer, Department of EducationRavenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha

E-mail: spmcuttack@gmail.com

Inclusion: A ProcessInclusive education is a process to cater for all children:

including boys, girls, students from ethnic and linguistics minorities, population affected by HIV-AIDS, those with disability difficulty in

learning. Aims is to eliminate exclusion- consequence of Negative attitude of towards the aboveLack of response to diversity in race, economic status, social class, ethnicity, language, religion, gender and ability.

Contd..

Full inclusion of children

with diverse abilities (i.e. gifted and disabilities) in all aspects of schooling that other children are able to access and enjoy (Loreman and Deppeler, 2001)

Inclusive Education: Justifications

Educational Point of View Irrespective of talent, disability, socio-

economic status, culturally origin in supportive mainstream schools and classrooms.

Needs of all students are met –preparing them for life.

Teachers improve their professional skills.

Society takes conscious decisions to operate according to social values.

Sociological point of view

Our society needs the schools-- values like wider social acceptance, peace and cooperation are prevalent.

Segregated education teaches children to be fearful, ignorant and generate prejudices. Only inclusive education can reduce these aspects and build friendship, respect and understanding (CSIE Report, 2002)

Economic point of view

Out of 700 million disable persons of World

10 percent only in India.

Inclusive education is cost-effective in nature (Salamanca Statement, UNESCO, 1994)

Humanitarian point of view

Segregation generates a feeling of inferiority in respects of child’s

status in the community which may affect his emotional and cognitive development.

Lack of confidence, motivation, and positive expectation for achievements are the product of segregated learning environment (Stainback, Stainback and Forrest, 1989).

Democratic point of view

In a democratic country the value of equality is most important.

So, to bring disable children in the mainstreaming education, the fair, ethical and equitable measures need to be taken to avoid discrimination.

Key Provisions for Inclusive Education

Constitution of India :• Article 45: Free and compulsory education

for all children up to 14 years, changed to ECCE up to 6 years age (86th amendment of Constitution)

• Article 21 A: Right to Education Act, 2009- Fundamental right of all children aged 6-14 to get equitable, free and quality education

Contd..Education for All, 1990:

Intensifies that large numbers of vulnerable and marginalized group of learners were excluded from the education system worldwide.

It made its vision of education as a broader concept (EFA) than schooling including women literacy, lifelong education etc

Contd..

National Policy on Education-1986 and POA-1992:

Gives emphasis on the removal of disparities and equalize educational opportunities by attending to the specific needs of those who have been denied equality.

Contd..

The Salamanca Conference, UNESCO, 1994:School should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, linguistic or other conditions.

Includes: disabled and gifted children, street and working children from remote or

nomadic population, children from linguistic, ethnic or cultural

minorities and children from other disadvantaged or

marginalized areas of groups.

Contd..Persons with Disability Act (Equal Opportunities,

Protection of Rights and Full Participation), 1995:

Direction to ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities and their full participation in the nation building

The Act provides for both preventive and promotional aspects of rehabilitation of persons with disability, unemployment and establishment of homes for persons with severe disability, etc.

Every child with disability - right to free education till the age of 18 years in integrated schools or special schools.

Special schools for children with disabilities shall be equipped with vocational training facilities

Contd..The National Trust Act (1999) :To facilitate the realization of equal

opportunities, protection of rights and full participation of persons with disability.

World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal (2000):

Education must take into account -the most disadvantaged including working children, remote rural dwellers, nomads, ethnic and linguistic minority children, affected by conflicts, HIV-AIDS, hunger and poor health and those with special learning needs.

Contd..Biwako Millennium Framework for Action,

UNESCAP (2002):The framework envisages that major barriers to the

provision of quality education for children with disabilities.

These barriers can be overcome through policy, planning, implementation of strategies and allocation of resources (BMF-UNESCAP, 2002).

Contd..

The National Action Plan for Inclusion in Education of Children and Youth with Disabilities (IECYD)-2005:

The goal of the Action Plan is –“to ensure the inclusion of children and youth with disabilities in all available general educational settings, by providing them with a learning environment that is available, accessible, affordable and appropriate.”

Contd..National Curriculum Framework-2005:

Schools need to become centres that prepare children for life and ensure that all children,

especially the differently abled, children from marginalized sections, children in difficult circumstances get the

maximum benefit of this critical area of education. (NCF, 2005, p.85)

Contd..National Policy for Persons with Disabilities,

2006:

The National Policy recognizes the fact that a majority of persons with disabilities can lead a better quality of life if they have equal opportunities and effective access to rehabilitation measures

Contd..Inclusive Education of the Disabled at Secondary

Stage (IEDSS, 2009-10):

The scheme aims at enabling all students with disabilities, after completing eight years of elementary schooling, to pursue further four years of secondary schooling in an inclusive and enabling environment.

Contd..RTE- SSA’s Policy on Inclusion (2001 & 2012):

SSA has adopted a zero rejection policy. This means that no child having special needs should be deprived of the right to education and taught in an environment, which is best, suited to his/her learning needs (MHRD,GoI,2011).

Every child with special needs should be placed in the neighborhood schools, with needed support services

Children with special needs need to be facilitated to acquire certain skills that will enable them to access elementary education

Inclusive Education vs. Traditional EducationInclusive Education • Education for all• Flexible Individualized

teaching• Learning in integrated

settings• Emphasis on learning • Child centred• Holistic approach• Equalization of

opportunities • Curricular view• Planning is made on

ability • Label free

Traditional Education • for some• Static or rigid

• Collective teaching

• Emphasis on teaching

• Subject centred• Diagnostic• Opportunity limited by

exclusion• Disability view

• Disability wise

• Labels children

Education through Inclusion• Flexible teaching and learning methods • Learning styles with innovative approaches to teaching

aids• equipments as well as the use of ICT and collaborative

approach• Flexible curriculum responsive to diversify needs and

not overloaded with academic content.• Initial training to the teachers on physical disability,

multilingual and multicultural teaching• Creating child friendly environments• Qualitative assessment of learning• Involvement of parents and the community

Curriculum

address the child’s holistic developmentbased on the four pillars of education for the

21 century- learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be.

adopts multilingual approaches

The teacher

• Explore new methodology and stagey to make the classroom inclusive

• Adopt child centred curriculum -active and cooperative learning

• Knows each pupil’s reactions towards teachings learning process.

Suggestions• Appropriate monitoring & evaluation mechanisms

need to be put in place to evaluate the impact of inclusive education policies.

• A coordinated action plan of holistic approach is needed to bring out a change in the entire education system

• Allow flexible use of funds to support activities for inclusive schools, education and training programmes.

• Distance learning education should be provided

THANK YOU