TET Notes - Overcoming the Barriers in Inclusive Education

 

Overcoming the Barriers in   Inclusive Education

v Despite all the problems many countries are making efforts to implement inclusive education.

v Some examples of methods used to overcome barriers are summarised below.

Negative attitude to words inclusive Education

v Creating a more inclusive system requires a new approach in attitude.

v Simply placing children with special needs within the public school system will not lead to meaningful inclusion.

v The problem of implementing the inclusive education lies with the unwelcoming school system and not with the disabled children.

v In order to change the school system, there first must be change in the attitudes of the stakeholders.

v One way of improving stakeholder’s attitudes towards inclusive education is to raise awareness of the potential benefits of inclusive education for all students.

v It implemented well inclusive education benefits all the students through more focus on individual needs of every student, provision of intra-structural facilities

v Low teacher-pupil ratio, more child-centered teaching techniques and a diversity friendly environment.

v However to gain support from communities people must be made aware of the benefits inclusive education can bring to all children.

Easy physical Access and better learning Environment

v Where physical factors pose barriers to learning and participation they can be easily removed.

v Improvement in the physical environment of the centers of learning such as the design of the building provided with ramps, lifts, adequate space for wheel chair movement, door handles, special seating arrangement etc.

v Special learning materials required for the disabled children availability of water, electricity and toilet facilities will enable students to participate in the range of learning activities in and out of the classroom.

 

Curriculum and assessment of student achievement

 

v Curriculum needs to be relevant to the children and flexible enough to respond to all children’s needs.

v Teaching methods should focus on child-centered education and not on subject centered education.

v This required both the development of suitable teacher training and flexible rules concerning curriculum.

v The examinations should test what are all learnt by the students and not   what they haven’t learnt.

v They should be designed in such a way that all students gain success to some extent.

v The assessment of children needs to be related to the aims of the curriculum, the culture of the child and the way in which the curriculum is designed and delivered.

Increasing the family involvement

v Guardians or careers of students especially those of disabled children, must be made conscious of fully utilizing the benefits that inclusive education bring in.

v Teachers besides having rapport with the parents and careers of the disabled children must also converse with them in a language understandable for them.

v If the school management and the teachers establish rapport with the popular and prominent people in the neighbourhood of the school then the information about the school will spread easily.

Ensuring community involvement

v Meaningful inclusion necessitates community participation.

v The community leaders, parents and teachers by devoting their time and resources to establish inclusive education in public schools can ensure their support.

Retraining the Personnel within the Educational System

v To achieve change with in the education system towards inclusion, those with in the education system must first understand and support the concept.

v Therefore the development of a more inclusive education system requires training and retraining of all education personnel.

v Administrator’s and education manages from ministries of education, local governments, district services, voluntary organizations, NGOs, etc. need to be introduced to the principle of inclusion and its implications to the system at different levels.

Policy Changes of the Government

v Strong political will and government commitment is critical to achieve inclusive education.

v ‘Education for all’ should be viewed not only as ‘human resource development’ but as ‘enforcing human rights’.

v The government should make policies keeping in mind that all sections of people including the disabled have the fundamental right to education.

v If necessary the whole education system must be reformed.

v The government should understand that the ‘inclusive education’ ties closely together with the goal of ‘Education of All’.

v If the government plans to achieve inclusion it need to define a set of inclusive principles and more practical aspects to guide the transition process through those principles.

v Summarizing the above it could be concluded that the barriers to implement the inclusive education could be successfully won over only with the active cooperation of all the stakeholders in the education system.