INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

DR. S.K RAJU

HM, KV SONPUR

INTRODUCTION

• Inclusive Education (IE) is a new approach towards educating the children with disability and learning difficulties with that of normal ones within the same roof.It brings all students together in one classroom , regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area.
• It is known that 73 million children of primary school age were out of school in 2010
• Where all students irrespective of their differences and diversity in • Physical • Cognitive • Academic • Social & • Emotional aspects are placed in the same age appropriate classes.

EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

Children with special needs are called EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

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• Mentally Retarded
• Visually Impaired
• Hearing Impaired
• Gifted Children
• Physically Handicapped
• Learning Disabled

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Concept of Inclusive Education

• In 1974, the centrally sponsored scheme for Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC) was introduced to provide equal opportunities to children with disabilities in general schools and facilitate their retention
• National Educational Policy, 1986, which recommended, as a goal, 'to integrate the handicapped with the general community at all levels as equal partners, to prepare them for normal growth and to enable them to face life with courage and confidence
• PWD Act 1995 ensures that every child with disability is entitled to a free education up to the age of 18 years. Govt. of India had accelerated the new scheme of Inclusive Educationto achieve the target of Education for All (EFA) by 2010.

PRINCIPLES FOR THE INCLUSION OF DISABLED CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS

• Zero rejection
• All the disabled children have the equal right to learn and benefit from education and co-curricular activities.
• It is the school which has to adjust according to the needs and requirements of the disabled children.
• To provide for the training of regular teachers.
• To provide for vocational training suitable according to their abilities at higher and senior secondary level.
• To promote awareness and realization in the community for the education of the disabled children.

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Challenges to implement Inclusive Education in India

• In India the number of the disabled people is so large, their problems so complex, available resources so scarce and social attitudes so damaging
• India is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-religious country, and its people are stratified along sharp socio-economic and caste lines.
• India is the world's second most populated country after China. It has 17 percent of the global population and 20 percent of the world's out-of-school children. The aim of inclusion is to bring support to the students.
• According to official estimates from the Census of India (Government of India, 2011), the number of people with disabilities in the country is 22 million, or roughly 2.1% of the total population
• UNICEF's Report on the Status of Disability states that there are around 1 billion people or 15% of world population experience some form of disability.

Challenges to implement Inclusive Education in India

• According to Sixth AllIndia Educational Survey (NCERT, 1998) about20 million out of India's 200 million school-aged children (6–14 years) require special needs education.
• Children with disabilities are often an easy target for being teased and bullied by their non-disabled peers.
• Most teacher training programs in India do not have a unit on disability studies The majority of schools in India are poorly designed and few are equipped to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities.
• The commitment of the Government of India to Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) cannot be fully achieved without taking care of special educational needs of the physically and mentally challenged children.

Few measures for implementing Inclusive Education

• 1. The Right to Education (RTE) must apply to all citizens of India. State and central Governments as well as all the other social actors should recognize the importance of a broadened concept of inclusive education that addresses the diverse needs of all learners.
• 2. A policy of inclusion needs to be implemented in all schools and throughout Indian education system (NCF, 2005). Schools need to become centers that prepare children for life and ensure that all children, especially the differently abled children from marginalized sections, and children in difficult circumstances get the maximum benefit of this critical area of education.

Few measures for implementing Inclusive Education

• 3. A school-based support team should develop strategies for the whole school to meet the needs of learners with special educational needs. This team should also be a resource for teachers experiencing problems in their classrooms.
• 4. The school has the primary responsibility for helping children learn alongside their typically developing peers. An inclusive school must enable education structures, systems and methodologies to meet the needs of all children, particularly those who face the greatest barriers to achieving their right to education. .

Few measures for implementing Inclusive Education

• 5. Bringing special children into mainstream requires adjustments that schools need to make in advance. Transport facilities should be altered, so that these children can move around with relative ease. Architecturally, there should be ramps and wheelchair access constructed in service areas such as toilets.
• 6. Student-oriented components, such as medical and educational assessment, books and stationery, uniforms, transport allowance, reader allowance and stipend for girls, support services, assistive devices, boarding the lodging facility, therapeutic services, teaching learning materials, etc should provide according to need of the students.

Few measures for implementing Inclusive Education

• 7. Differently abled children should be treated equally as the normal children and instead of looking them in sympathy their talents and abilities should be recognised for their selfrespect and welfare of the society.

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• 8. Necessary school supplies such as audio learning or textbooks in Braille should be made available. Suitable modification to examination system may be required, so as to eliminate pure mathematical and logical assessments.

Few measures for implementing Inclusive Education

• 9. Teachers‟ attitudes towards inclusive education could be formed and developed in the context of an educational system which can provide some specific conditions in order to have a good practice in this field.

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• 10. In-service training programmes of two to three weeks' duration for general educators and special educators in all the disabilities and in specific areas of disability should arrange to effectively teach children with disabilities.

Few measures for implementing Inclusive Education

• 11. Periodic evaluation of the training programmes and constant updating to meet the challenges of changing trends in special education should be part of the planning of teacher preparation.
• 12. Inclusion should not be the sole responsibility of the specific class teacher. Everybody should be involved and take responsibility. Training for teachers should be sustained and ongoing. It should most importantly focus on attitudinal change.
• 13. The reform of the curriculum should be made in parallel with a proper training for teachers regarding their knowledge of inclusion and its principles. The curriculum for each of the above programmes should be carefully developed by an expert group which includes practising special teachers.