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Bibliographies : Save the Children (UK) : Towards Inclusion: SCF UK's Experience in Integrated Education - Contents
A wide range of factors need to be taken into account in order to establish the situation of disadvantaged children and the potential to increase their educational opportunities. Where relevant information is available in-country, related to all disadvantaged groups (children with disabilities by age, gender, disability group) it should be collected although such statistical data may not be reliable. In many situations, however, new surveys will not be a productive way to gain new information as they raise expectations that may not be met immediately by subsequent programming. In addition, whatever methods are used, many of these children will continue to be 'invisible' and only emerge as relevant services are developed. As country situations change rapidly, a situation analysis is an on-going, never completed process.
Government Legislation & Policy
An
understanding of existing related legislation and policy is necessary. This
includes assessing the strength of international influences, via UN conventions
etc., national legislation related to both education and disability, and
judging the extent to which they are implemented in-country. SCF policy and
experience worldwide are also part of the background knowledge needed.
1. International
Many countries have signed
international conventions and treaties. It is necessary to clarify what the
country's position is in relation to International Agreements, particularly
those related to:
The policies and practices of any major international donor involved in-country (UN, DANIDA, etc.) may have a major effect on government. An assessment of the level of influence they exert and whether this would aid or run counter to SCF intervention needs to be made.
2. National
Existing legislation, policy, rules
and regulations governing local administration and schools should be looked at,
as should the range of formal and informal educational activities engaged in.
These may all offer openings or create obstacles.
A particularly important aspect is the perception of IE in the country. It may be seen as an educational, disability or developmental issue or some combination of these or even be such a new concept that it appears to fit in no existing category. Where IE becomes the responsibility of one particular department within the education sector, for example that of primary education, the lines of responsibility are clearer, but in most countries this is not the case. More likely, IE will be seen as something 'special'. In Laos, where IE was seen as a natural extension to primary school improvement, introducing IE was easier.
Another difficult area to investigate is to find out who is responsible for developing policy. It could involve more than one Ministry or Department. If this is the case, it is necessary to go on to judge the relative strengths of each of them and the mechanisms (or lack of mechanisms) used to cooperate in developing policy, allocating budgets and implementing programmes. In Thailand, three different MoE departments work on IE. In India the Ministry of Human Resource Development is responsible which means high levels of cooperation are needed for school based changes.
There may be formal mechanisms for reviewing legislation and guidelines which may involve a level of consultation with consumer groups and NGOs. SCF advocacy may need to be directed quite clearly at whatever power groups are in a position to effect policy changes.
It is probable that there will be a discrepancy between legislation and implementation on the ground. A key question might be whether there is political interest in narrowing this gap.
Centralisation of the decision making process can be useful at certain points in programme implementation. On the other hand, decentralised systems may allow for local experimentation which can then be used to demonstrate new policy to centralised authorities. In China central government makes policy and issues targets, but there is much leeway in how these targets might be reached at provincial level. In Ho Chi Minh City the ability of districts to experiment has been an important factor. In Lesotho policy and planning at national level was the key to the project.
It is probable that existing regulations governing schools actively work against the introduction of IE. One such regulation, common in many countries, is a rigid control of a child's progression through the grades. This is often related to passing the end of year exam. Such regulations will have to be changed in time, but at the start, what is needed is the power to implement experiments which can bypass such systems. A key factor is having potential partners at a sufficiently high level to make such a decision.
Similarly, a budget, albeit a small one, will be needed. An assessment of who has the ability to assign such a budget is needed.
3. SCF's Policy and Experience
SCF's policies and
experiences related to education, disability and disadvantaged groups form
another strand to the situation as does the regional and country strategy. SCF
is currently recognised as a lead INGO by UNESCO. It may be possible to
capitalise on this.
Within country, SCF may have key contacts and a level of credibility built up over the years on which to base the work. In confused situations, with several ministries and departments involved. SCF may have a particularly significant role in enabling collaboration and cooperation to develop across hierarchical structures which are unable to build such bridges themselves.
Government Organisation
Understanding key aspects of government's organisation, structure and
power bases is helpful.
Who is responsible for providing services for the disabled and other excluded/marginalised children? In Thailand, as mentioned before, three ministers are involved; in Lesotho and Anhui Province, China who has responsibility is clear, so conflicts were minimised; in Laos, initially no Ministry had formal responsibility - both a problem and an opportunity.
What is the internal organisation of the MoE and other concerned ministries? Do departments coopeterate with each other? What are their management structures and lines of reporting? Are there plans for change, such as decentralisation? In Vietnam complex management structures mean that it has been difficult to work out who should be approached.
Who is responsible for allocating budg ets and controlling spending? This may or may not be the same body as the policy makers.
What level of expertise and skills for children with special needs exist in country, and are they willing to share it? In both Thailand and Lesotho, specialists were not keen to embrace IE, seeing it as a threat to their 'professionalism'.
What is the capacity of the various departments to absorb and implement new ideas? The fact that there were no specialists in Laos did not prevent the IE programme starting as there was considerable capacity and interest to achieve change.
What is Government's attitude and constraints to working with local and international NGO's and semi-government organisations e.g. women's and youth associations? How do they relate to consumer groups and community organisations? In Lesotho, DPOs have been consulted on policy formulation but then the political and social organisation in Lestho is quite different to that in the socialist and communist countries of Asia.
Community Factors
Within the community, attitudes
towards disability, and education will affect programme possibilities. Disabled
children may already be in school (but probably failing), hidden at home,
working within the family, or loose on the street and neglected. In many
countries, children continue to be hidden by their parents. In this situation a
survey will not reveal the numbers of children in need. It is not unusual for
people to believe that 'There are no disable children here', as was the case
when the issue was first raised in Laos.
There may be other community initiatives for the disabled such as Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR). If so, a clear understanding of their resources and influence is needed. Related to this is the level of community activities which involve disabled children and adults.
Community educational initiatives may also prove useful if available. In China many kindergartens have 'Parent School' which have been used to instruct parents in child health and welfare. In Anhui these have been used for initial awareness raising by the kindergartens and have gone on to be transformed into much stronger 'Parents Associations'.
School Factors
Social factors relate to the
actual system itself, the role of the school in its community, and the detailed
ways of working in school.
1. Systems
The linkages between schools and
district, provincial and national MoE structures affect the way the schools
actually function and this might differ from the state system or be
supplemented by informal relationships. An understanding of the links between
schools and other systems (such as health) would help, although much of this
information may only gradually emerge.
It should be easier to assess the range of provision for children with special needs in kindergartens, special schools and units, or mainstream primary schools, as this should be a matter of public record. Similarly, discovering general class size, staff student ratios, general resource levels in schools and the level of staff training should not be difficult. Making the best of the situation offered is one of the keys to sustainable programmes. In China, resource levels are low and class size high, but staff student ratios are good. This enabled changes in the way staff were organised to increase teacher involvement with children, without needing to increase staffing levels.
In addition for formal school data, it is useful to consider the actual rate of school attendance by gender age and disability, and the impact of location on attendance rates. The drop out and repeater rates are also important as they indicate both pressure on the population and the appropriateness and quality of the education on offer.
2, The Wider Context
Each school will be seen by
the community in a specific way. It may feel to 'belong' to the community, and
so be used by community groups, and for non formal educational activities -
either locally or centrally organised. If the community feels involved with the
school it will be easier to include people in new directions, just as it will
be easier if the teacher has a high status and is well regarded. In some
situations real ownership of the buildings can cause problems. In Lesotho most
are owned by churches and this complicated planning for weekend training
sessions.
3. Inside the School
Within the school an
assessment needs to be made about all aspects of the education on offer. This
includes the classroom organisation, the teaching methodology, the curriculum
and its appropriateness. School management structures and the actual quality of
management in place are very important. The literature on school improvement
highlights school leadership as a key factor. Where managers are open to change
and have the confidence of the staff, change is easier.
Real staff working conditions are also important. Teacher wages are often very low leading to the need to supplement their income in some other say. Such teachers may find the additional training and workload very difficult to accomplish whatever their attitudes. In many countries teachers may experience long periods without pay. In China it is not unknown for teachers to be given IOUs for up to six months at a time. Under such conditions morale may be very low and absenteeism the rule rather than the exception.
Introducing new methods may be too difficult if teachers are under very great pressure. Alternatively, such teachers may find change motivating, work extremely hard, and feel self esteem grow as skills and knowledge increase. The Lesotho experience clearly shows that the level of staff motivation enables some schools to make faster progress, regardless of resourcing or staffing levels. In itself, to be part of a new venture can help teachers working under very difficult circumstances to re-assess their worth. Additionally the level of community involvement sought can be supportive for teachers who may have felt no one cared about them or their work.
Assessing local attitudes to working closely with the community is also important as is assessing local access to resources and possible support personnel such as physiotherapists.
Training and Awareness Raising
Awareness raising
for policy-makers, planners, administrators, teachers, ancillary staff,
community and religious leaders, parents and children are essential
pre-requisites to successful IE. Other organisations may already be undertaking
such training and this may provide a good opening for SCF.
Existing training opportunities should be investigated. This includes both pre- and in- service courses and in both formal and non-formal sectors. Of particular interest are courses in special needs which may be component of pre-service training, an in-service course or a separate qualification. These elements may or may not form a coherent training system. In Thailand, training on special needs is carried out by Teacher Training Colleges, Primary Education and Special Education departments, all with differing aims and objectives and little cross-fertilisation.
What is the fundamental aims and vision of existing training? Does it focus on difference and 'defective' asp ects of individual children, or an understanding that children with special needs are first and foremost children heavily handicapped by society's attitudes, e.g. an understanding of individual/medical and social models of disability? What is the standard of this training? These are vital questions because using existing courses may bolster the attitudes with IE aims to combat. Under these circumstances it will be necessary to devise and run special courses.
It is very unlikely that existing training courses can be used to improve the general standard of teaching methodology. If that were so, no school improvement would be needed as teachers would already be using more child centred methods. Nevertheless seeking good potential trainers working in existing training situations is worthwhile.
External Support and Resource Requirements
Appropriate resources, people and organisations (DPOs. PAs, NGOs. INGOs,
donors), and trained and experienced personnel may be available locally,
provincially and nationally. If they are insufficient, support within the
region might be possible thus avoiding the need for international
resources.
Materials may also be available. This includes judging the local capacity to produce and distribute the equipment required, e.g., Braille, mobility aids.
DPOs, NGOs and Mass Organisations have very different ways of working, their potential to be partners relates to whether they are:
In Lesotho, after discussions with adult focused DPOs, the organisation was able to change direction and to focus more on children through the training of parents and teachers.
Finally, the issue of funding will need to be discussed. Educational change is a slow process and commitment may be needed over an extended period of time. IE requires human resource development rather than material resources. Enabling teachers and administrators to learn from experience of others is often expensive. Funding for such activities may look top heavy on personnel costs and thus needs to be carfully explained to potential donors.
Guiding Principles
Bibliographies : Save the Children (UK) : Towards Inclusion: SCF UK's Experience in Integrated Education - Contents
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20/10/1997