Contributions from: Abu Bakar, Muneer, Nadeem Siddiqui & Nasir
Abstract
Inclusive Education refers to participation by all in a supportive general education environment that includes appropriate educational and social support and services. Discussion of how best to provide special education services has been going on for some time, with terms such as "mainstreaming" regular education initiative, and "inclusion' arising to describe conceptualisations and re-conceptualisations of what represent "the right thing to do" for children with disabilities. These discussions have highlighted some of the perceived requirements for a new service delivery model to be successful, including overall school restructuring, the merging of general and special education, and the formulation of a unified educational system. The present study aims to explore the perception of teachers about the role and responsibilities of various professionals in the process of inclusion. It will also identify the related factors like awareness of the concept possibilities of implementation and willingness of the school staff in actualising the process. The target population will be teachers, administrators and other professionals dealing with special and ordinary children in schools of Karachi. The study will bring forward the strategies needed to install the concept of inclusive education in Pakistan.
Introduction:
Inclusive Education has evolved as a movement to challenge exclusionary policies and practices and has gained momentum over the past decade. Inclusion has become the most effective approach to address the learning needs of all students in regular schools and classrooms.
UNESCO, the World Bank, and non government organizations jointly contribute to a growing consensus that all children have the right to be educated together, regardless of their disability and that inclusive education is a human right that makes good educational and social sense.
" Inclusion" is a philosophy that exerts that Classrooms and communities are not complete unless children with all needs and gifts are welcome to it. Inclusive schools are those schools in which students with disabilities attend the school and the classroom that he or she would attend without having had a disability.
Inclusive Education refers to participation by all in a supportive general education environment that includes appropriate educational and social support and services. Discussion of how best to provide special education services has been going on for some time, with terms such as "mainstreaming" regular education initiative, and "inclusion" to describe conceptualizations and re-conceptualizations of what represent "the right thing to do" for children with disabilities. These discussions have highlighted some of the perceived requirements for a new service delivery model to be successful, including overall school restructuring, the merging of general and special education, and the formulation of a unified educational system.
The 1980s witnessed progress toward inclusion first with mainstreaming i.e., participation of students with disabilities in general education, and then the regular education initiative i.e. education of students with mild disabilities within the framework of general education through shared responsibility among general and special educators.
By the 1990s, advocacy efforts had extended the regular education initiative notion to students with moderate and severe disabilities. The concept grew to one in which the focus was on "heterogeneous" or "inclusionary" school, where all children are educated with necessary supports in general education environments of their local neighborhood schools and communities. In such schools, the traditional continuum of placement of special education paradigm that removed some children to other places to receive curriculum and instruction could be modified for any student. Until recently, most of the debate about inclusion was fueled by research based on opinion rather than data, which speculated on what would be required of the new approaches. In the late 1980s attitudinal studies yielded results that educators were comfortable with maintaining the status quo of the pullout of special education services.
Rationale for Inclusive Education:
Strategies
A. General Strategies:
B. Working as a TEAM:
- Ø Parents or a family representative
- Ø Classroom teacher
- Ø Special Education Teacher resource facilitator, integration facilitator, support facilitator, methods and resource teacher.
- Ø Education Assistant
- Ø Ancillary Staff
- Ø Administration
- Ø Peers
C. Instructional Strategies:
| 1. | Data-Based: or outcome based instructional models. |
| 2. | Cooperative Group Learning: This strategy allows teachers to establish individual goals for students of a variety of skills and abilities while the group works to achieve a common goal. |
| 3. | Whole Language: This approach accepts the diverse communicative skills and abilities of students and allows each student to work at her or his level. |
| 4. | Activity-Based Learning: Individualized learning objectives are embedded into the general concept of the lessons. |
| 5. | Skill Matrix: The benefit here is that natural cues, rather than contrived cues, exist and the learning occurs in the context in which the skill is to be practiced. |
| 6. | Differentiated Instruction: Also known as Multi-Level instruction. This strategy allows the inclusion of all students in the learning activity while using the same lesson, materials and program. |
| 7. | Peer Tutoring: Partner learning or Peer supports the teacher utilizes peer power to increase the individualization of the program. |
D. Peer Power:
It is important to include peers to assist in every step of the way: preplanning, planning, and implementation.
Problem of the study:
The study plans to explore the process of inclusive education in ordinary schools. It will include observations of the role of teacher and external specialists in intensive educational setting.
Scope of the study:
Special Education is a new field of study in the country, Pakistan . The Ministry of Special Education started functioning only in 1985. Prior to that, special education was in the hands of non government organizations. The survey of disabled in 1985 indicated that 10% of the population has some sort of disability (W.H.O report). Another study reports that out of these ten percent, only two percent are availing institutional facilities.
Originally, there was only one training institute for special teachers in the country only, in 1988, the Ministry of Special Education, established the department of Special Education in the Universities of Punjab and Karachi for training teachers of special children. Special children are receiving education in separate setting. No specific law exists for the education and training of children with disabilities.
In such a situation, the development of special education, depends totally on the education and training of the professionals in the field. Training in the area of inclusive education having an ideal program can thus provide useful, objective and practical information's needed to actualize the concept in the country, Pakistan.
Objectives of the Study:
Research Design:
The study aimed at exploring the inclusive education in perspective of services. The population of the study was selected from the cosmopolitan city of Karachi, Pakistan. A total of thirty respondents were selected randomly for the study. The respondents include teachers, professionals, administrators and parents of special children. The respondents were selected keeping in view their involvement in the education and rehabilitation of children.
Structured questionnaire was developed to explore information from the respondents. The questionnaire was pre-tested and finally approved for the study. The questionnaire included general information section and specific question. It was implement through interview method. The qualitative data collected was converted into tabular form. The numbers were than tested through percentage method.
Summary of Results:
The research, inclusive education, a perspective of services explored the views of teacher, administrator, professional and parent about the possibilities of establishing inclusive education set up in the schools of Karachi. The study included interviewing teachers of ordinary and special schools to find out their awareness and attitude towards the concept. Administrators were also interviewed to find out their knowledge and attitude about the concept.
Professionals like Doctors, Physiotherapists, Speech Therapist, Audiologists, Speech Pathologist, E.N.T. experts, neurologists etc. were also interviewed. The aim was to find out their awareness about the concept of inclusive education as well as significance of the role of multi-professionals in the education and rehabilitation of special children.
The results indicate that teachers, administrators, professionals and parents appear to be aware of the concept of Inclusive Education but are not very sure about how it will be implemented in ordinary setting. They have too much doubt about the strategies and intervention techniques involved in the system.
Some believe that inclusive education will be better for special children while others are of the opinion that special children should be educated in special schools.
The perception of inclusive education by administrator, teacher, professionals and parents reflect that they are confused about the impact of inclusive education on the growth and achievement of the child. Getting education with normal children will bring forward too much competition and thus special children might fail to achieved fully from the educational settings.
The role of various professionals identified by teachers, professionals, administrators and parents indicate that mostly the professionals viewed multi-professionals as playing important role in inclusive setting while teachers, administrators and parents doubted their roles. It may be because of the poor awareness of the respondents about the idea behind the concept.
The term inclusive education is relatively new and not well known in Pakistan. As such the responses of teachers, professionals, administrator and parents are varying.
Conclusion:
Keeping in view the results of the study, it is very clear that we need to clarify and expand the concept of inclusive education in order to develop acceptance of the provision among the teachers and professionals concerned with the teaching of special children. Awareness of the concept will bring forward the roles and responsibilities of teachers and professionals in the process of inclusive education and this will make it implementation possible.
Recommendation:
1. Inclusive education should be introduced in the education system to ensure best educational facilities for special children.
2. Children should get opportunities to belong to and share normal experiences with family, neighbours and peers and thus inclusive education system will help to provide it.
3. Special children should work side by side with peers with diverse skills and abilities to help them learn and develop the skills necessary to work in real life.
4. Each school should work for promoting the concept of inclusive education because they have a vital contribution to make to the society.
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