Inclusive Education

Inclusive education may be viewed in general terms as a continuous process of breaking down barriers to learning and participation for all children and young people. The Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE) has defined inclusive education as a process where all children and young people with and without

disabilities or difficulties learn together in ordinary pre-schools, schools, colleges and universities with appropriate network of supports. It therefore means enabling all students to participate fully in the life and work of mainstream settings, whatever their needs (CSIE 2002). Meanwhile Beirne (1994) described full inclusion as the full time placement of all students, including those with disabilities, in the regular

education school systems to the extent appropriate to their needs. Some people

however think that full inclusion may not yet be possible and that inclusive education should no longer be restricted to pupils with special needs only or just to their

placement in the mainstream classrooms.

Authors who argue that inclusion should embrace and focus on all groups of children propose that inclusive education should be viewed as a process in which schools, communities and governments strive to reduce barriers to participation in learning for all citizens (Booth & Ainscow 1998). This broader view of inclusion emphasises equal opportunities for all pupils including pupils with special educational needs, gifted and talented pupils, minority ethnic groups, children with specific health needs, teenage mothers and pregnant pupils and any such pupils at the risk of exclusion.

In Uganda, inclusive education is viewed as a process of addressing the learners’

needs within the mainstream schools using all available resources (UNISE 2002).This definition also emphasises quality, access, and opportunity for pupils with special needs to have education in ones’ natural environment. In the present study, Inclusion of pupils with intellectual disabilities was therefore taken to mean the process of teaching pupils with intellectual disabilities and ordinary pupils together, as well as increasing their participation in the co-curricular (out of class) activities of ordinary schools. Increasing the participation of all pupils and ensuring quality and access to

education for every child is consistent with many national and international laws and might require necessary changes in the schools systems and other aspects.

Justification for the Inclusion of Pupils with intellectual Disabilities As previously stated, some research reports indicate that there still exist some

unfavourable views regarding the inclusion of pupils with special needs, particularly pupils with intellectual disabilities. These disparities exist despite the fact that a number of national and international policies and legislative frameworks as well as research findings support the need for the education of all children in ordinary instead of special schools. Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations 2006) clearly establishes inclusive settings as the first choice for education for all children. It reiterates the rights of children with

disabilities to education, but more explicitly sets the goal of full inclusion in the regular education system.

The inclusion of pupils with special educational needs implies that ordinary schools face the responsibility to make necessary adjustments to accommodate the needs and interest of all learners. According to the Salamanca Statement inclusive schools must recognise and respond to the diverse needs of students, accommodating both different styles and rates of learning and ensuring quality education to all through appropriate curricula, organisational arrangements, teaching strategies, resource use and

partnerships with their communities (UNESCO 1994). Inclusion is therefore a complex process which goes beyond mere placement of pupils with intellectual disabilities in schools. It is founded upon basic, fundamental rights and principles.

According to Rustemier (2002) some of the fundamental principles upon which the inclusion of individuals in mainstream societies should be based include but are not limited to the following: every human being is able to feel and think; all human beings need each other; real education can only happen in the context of real relationships; all people need support and friendship from people of their own age;

progress for all learners is achieved by building on things people can do rather than what they can not do and diversity brings strengths to all living systems.

Similarly, Brown in (Berine 1994) has advanced more philosophical arguments in support of inclusion. He justified inclusion on the grounds that since students with disabilities are to live in the community as adults, they need to learn to interact with peers who are not disabled as they grow up; because people who are not disabled eventually encounter people who are disabled, they too must be prepared during their formative school years. He therefore emphasised that the only way to breakdown prejudice and stereotypes and promote more positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities is to provide longitudinal opportunities for citizens without disabilities to get to know their peers with disabilities. The opportunities for early social interaction that eventually lead to mainstream inclusion in society can therefore be realised through inclusive education that begins from schools, home and the wider society.

Inclusive education is also justified by some research findings which indicate that inclusion is beneficial for pupils’ school achievement and social growth. Binker and Thorpe (1984) reported that pupils with severe disabilities who are included have greater academic progress than segregated pupils. Similarly, other studies have also revealed that the academic achievements of ordinary pupils do not necessarily decline as a result of inclusion (Jenkins, Speltz & Odom 1998). Regarding attitudes towards their inclusion, Certo, Haring and York (1984) found that attitude towards and perception of persons with disabilities improves through inclusion. They also found that pupils with disabilities show gains in communication, social skills, and recreation as a result of interactions with peers without disabilities in inclusive settings.

These findings may as well serve to clarify some perceptions that tend to associate inclusive education with a drop in the quality of academic performance of schools.

The findings are also important for the current study since they demonstrate and reinforce the notion that through including pupils with disabilities, negative attitudes and perceptions towards them can be improved.

In Uganda, inclusive education co-exists with special schools and units. This may appear contradictory if some people interpret it to mean that inclusion is only for some learners with disabilities while some may continue to attend special schools.

However inclusive education may not necessarily mean closing down special schools and units. Kristensen et al (2006) remarked that full inclusion for all pupils with disabilities in Uganda may not yet be possible for some time due to resource

constrains, the severity of some disabilities, insufficient number of teachers trained in special needs education and high teacher- pupil ratio. A study conducted to assess the operational conditions of the fifteen special schools in Uganda disclosed that most of them were seriously mal-functional and parents were said to be taking children there without visiting or collecting them for holidays. In addition, most children were found to be accidentally admitted without proper assessments (Kristensen et al.

2006). The practical conditions in Uganda therefore call for inclusive education since even the few existing special schools are found to be mal-functioning, let alone the fact that they are very few in the country and not equitably distributed.

Nevertheless, Uganda has moved some commendable strides towards implementing inclusive education which may be worth mentioning. The introduction of UPE in 1997 indirectly marked the official start of inclusive education since children with disabilities were given affirmative action to be enrolled in ordinary primary schools (Ministry of Education & Sports 1998). Following the UPE landmark declaration, the only institution that trains teachers in special needs education in Uganda at the time, revised its curriculum and changed from offering a specialised to a general diploma course in special needs education This was to equip the upgrading teachers with the basic knowledge and skills to meet the needs of pupils with different disabilities in inclusive schools (UNISE 2002). Currently special needs education is officially included in the curriculum of primary teachers’ colleges and government has recruited some special teachers to teach Special Needs Education in the colleges.

Since pupils with disabilities are already guaranteed access to ordinary schools at least by law, it remains to be seen whether the necessary adaptations are made in attitudes and curricular practices to increase the participation of all pupils in the

ordinary schools. The challenge is now to move from legislation towards the practice of inclusion.