Inclusive education: an overview

International WorkshopHandicap International

September 2007

Susie MilesSchool of Education, University of Manchestersusie.miles@manchester.ac.uk

Enabling Education Network – EENET www.eenet.org.uk

What does inclusion look

like?

The right to education for all: access and quality

• 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

• 1990 World Conference on Education for All (EFA) by the year 2000, Jomtien, Thailand

• 1993 UN Standard Rules (on Disability)

• 1994 Salamanca Statement – on Special Needs Education: access and quality

• 2000 World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal, Review of progress on EFA Conference

Millennium Development Goals (Goal 2 UPE)

• 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of people with Disabilities (Article 24: Education)

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989

• Article 2 Non-discriminationRegardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, property, disability, birth

• Article 28/29 The right to quality educationdevelop the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities, develop respect for the child’s own cultural and national values

• Article 23 Disabled children’s education ensure disabled children have access to education while recognising their need for special care and assistance

The Salamanca Statement, 1994

“… schools should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, linguistic or other conditions. This should include disabled and gifted children, street and working children, children from remote or nomadic populations, children from linguistic, ethnic, or cultural minorities and children from other disadvantaged or marginalized areas and groups.” (Salamanca Statament, para 2)

Inclusive schools are “the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all; moreover, they provide an effective education to the majority of children and improve the efficiency and ultimately the cost-effectiveness of the entire education system.” (Introduction to Framework for Action, para 3)

EENET’s definition of inclusive education

all children can learn

inclusive education is a dynamic process which is constantly evolving

differences in children, such as age, gender, ethnicity, language, disability, HIV and TB status, should be acknowledged and respected

education structures, systems and methodologies should be developed to meet the needs of all children

inclusive education should be seen as part of a wider strategy to promote an inclusive society

progress need not be restricted by large class sizes or a shortage of material resources.

Based on the Agra Conference, 1998

A UK Department for International Development (DfID) definition,

2000

“Inclusive education in a developing country implies the equal right of all children to the ‘educational package’, however basic that package may be.”

Disability Awareness in Action Definition of inclusion, 2003

“When we refer to ‘inclusion’, we mean the participation of disabled children through the provision of fully accessible information, environments and support.”

 

A UNESCO definition of inclusive education, 2001

“Inclusive education starts from the belief that the right to education is a basic human right and the foundation for a

more just society. 

Inclusive education takes the Education for All (EFA) agenda forward by finding ways of enabling schools to

serve all children in their communities…. 

Inclusive education is concerned with all learners, with a focus on those who have traditionally been excluded from educational opportunities – such as learners with special needs and disabilities, children from ethnic and linguistic

minorities”. 

UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, 2006

Article 24: Education

• All disabled children and young people “can access an inclusive, quality, free primary and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live.”

• “Reasonable accommodation of the individual’s requirements.”

• Support should be provided, “within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education.”

• “The education of … children, who are blind, deaf and deafblind, is delivered in the most appropriate languages and modes and means of communication for the individual, and in environments which maximize academic and social development.”

Inclusive education at all levels

• International

• National

• Local government

• Community

• School

• Family

• Individual child

Key Issues

Poverty, gender, race, HIV/AIDS,

disability, language

Policy development Teacher

education and development

Role of disabled people and

their organisations

Child to Childand pupil voice

Inclusive learning

environments

Information and accessibility

Early childhood development

Family and Family and community community involvementinvolvement

(CBR)(CBR)

Adult and non-formal education

Physical access

This bridge is the only access to the nearest school

An inclusive education project in Oriang, Kenya,

supported by Leonard Cheshire International

“Levelling” the school environment

Teachers and pupils working to prevent soil erosion.

New toilets adapted for students and staff.

The importance of good lighting

This window has been enlarged to improve light quality.

Inclusive learning environmentsImproved seating arrangements, collaborative learning, well lit classrooms, walls painted white.

Worrying trends

• The majority of disabled children do not go to school.• Disabled children are often seen as ‘ineducable’ and ‘not worth

wasting resources on’.• Disability ‘mainstreaming’ is still the dominant view in education• Special schools and specialists are often considered to be

essential – rather than developing capacity in communities.• ‘Special units’ are seen as a way forward – yet they are

problematic.• Most agencies focus on schooling - not enough attention paid to

alternative forms of education• The term ‘inclusive education’ is used to mean different things in

different places.• Teacher education rarely keeps up with changes in policy and

practice.

Signs of hope

• School fees have been abolished in many countries

• UNESCO is promoting child-friendly (inclusive) schools

• Inclusive education is now a right – in over 100 countries (those who have signed the new UN Convention)

• The inclusion of disabled children is often a catalyst for change and can challenge EFA to be more inclusive.

• People are passionate about sharing their experience of making IE a reality.

An inclusive approach to education for all

Inclusive education

Focus on disability rights

Education for All

Universal PrimaryEducation

Improving the quality of education