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Bibliographies : Save the Children (UK)
Why and how is Save the Children Fund (SCF) involved in Inclusive Education (IE) work. Why, how and by whom should this work be developed?
1. Why is IE a priority from the perspective of the needs of children in that particular country?
2. Should it be a part of all educational interventions from the start? If no/yes, why?
3. How can it be prioritised against other educational initiatives such as early childhood development (ECD), basic education, non-formal etc., or is this the wrong question?
4. What are the ultimate aims; is it to make schools more flexible or to respond to the educational needs of disabled children?. In other words, is it an education programme, or a disability programme, or both? Where do these two aims overlap and can they potentially conflict with each other? To address the ‘disability issue’ as a whole inevitably brings up areas relating to community based rehabilitation (CBR), general development issues, future adult life (employment, training etc.). What are the limits of our focus?
5. SCF is not an educational institute, therefore we do not have wide-ranging in-depth professional back-up (unlike a university or institute of education). Sp ed, IE are constantly evolving, fluid issues which develop very much within a cultural context, and have suffered from uncritical exportation in the past. Are we the best people to be doing what we are doing, what is our specific strength (i.e. that a professional institute would not be able to do)? Do we need to create more formal links with such an institute in order to support our advisors? Or establish networks/fora for exchange beyond an in-house system?
6. Have we considered alternative approaches, such as funding national staff for in-depth training, facilitating links with educational institutes/universities?. In other words getting others to do it?
7. Do we allocate enough time/resources to what we hope to achieve? Are we taking on too much or too little?
8. Do we do enough baseline/feasibility work in different countries before developing a strategy? What do we know about indigenous care/education of disabled children, casual integration, teacher/pupil attitudes, coping strategies etc.? (e.g. Lesotho programme felt it needed to do an in-depth 6 month study interviewing over 1,000 teachers, plus children and parents, before developing a strategy). How do we decide what we need to know before starting, and who decides?
9. How can this work be monitored/evaluated? How do we ensure that it continues to question/challenge itself, who should be involved in monitoring and how? What criteria do we use for success? e.g. government satisfaction, increased flexibility in schools, impact on lives of disabled people? Are there areas of potential conflict in different agendas?
10. Are we doing IE because the resource persons in the region have an educational background? If we were advisors who were physiotherapists or disabled people, would our work focus be more on CBR or support to Disabled People's Organisations (DPO) development? Or is IE something we have ‘objectively’ prioritised within disability?
11. If it is the case that we are continuing to expand in IE because we now have this as an area of expertise, then this may be a perfectly good reason to focus on IE (after all, much of our health work has developed because of our expertise/history in health work). But it is important to distinguish between this and the previous point (10).
Inclusive Education (IE) is a strategy contributing towards the ultimate goal of promoting an inclusive society, one which enables all children/adults, whatever their gender, age, ability, ethnicity, impairment or HIV status, to participate in and contribute to that society. Difference is respected and valued. Discrimination and prejudice will be actively combated in policies, institutions and behaviour.
Education is the right of all children, and IE aims to ensure that all children have access to an appropriate, relevant, affordable and effective education within their community. This education starts in the home with the family, and includes formal, non-formal and all types of community-based education initiatives.
Within schools IE is an approach which aims to develop a child-focus by acknowledging that all children are individuals with different learning needs and speeds. Teaching and learning can become more effective, relevant and fun for all. Therefore IE will always be good for all schools, although all schools may not be good for all children.
IE is part of development, and development should be inclusive, i.e. responding to the needs of real people who are all different. As with all children, disabled children have a range of basic needs which need to be met in order for them to benefit from education. These include nutrition, acceptance, love and basic health care. Poverty and lack of basic infrastructure (roads, transport) affects children’s access to education, including disabled children. Whatever the level of socio/economic development, the education of disabled children should be seen as integral to the development of education for all children. Many of the ‘problems’ which exclude disabled children from education are a result of exclusive planning: planning should be inclusive.
IE is the responsibility of both government and community, requiring collaboration between sectors and extensive participation. Supporting and involving families is central to IE, as the family has prime responsibility for the care and education of their children (whether disabled or not). Community Based Rehabilitieation (CBR) as a component of community development can help meet basic and specific needs of disabled children, such as access to braille and sign and mobility aids. CBR may also have a direct role in supporting the education of children with severe and multiple disabilities, both in the context of their own homes and in day care facilities.
Issues of disabled identity and discrimination need to be addressed as part of an IE strategy. In order to combat discrimination and to promote positive identity in disabled children, disabled role models should be accessible to all children, schools should employ disabled teachers, and curriculum materials should reflect the existence of disabled people in society in positive ways.
As a catalyst for change IE provides not only school improvement but an increased awareness of human rights which leads to a reduction of discrimination. By finding local answers to complex problems it empowers communities and can lead to wider community development. IE addresses a real need, is a readily understandable concept and requires no new major resources. It primarily involves changes of attitudes and behaviour. It has the potential to be a very effective starting point for addressing the Rights of the Child in a range of cultures and contexts.
Sue Stubbs
Bibliographies : Save the Children (UK)
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11/11/1998