What is Inclusive Education?
From the word “Inclusive” itself you must have got some clue as the word means ‘to include’ or ‘including’, and in education it means to include every child. And in today’s education system inclusive education means to include every student in general schools, providing equal education and opportunities. From this we can define that, ‘inclusive education means that children with and without special needs are educated under one roof’.
It includes all those schools, colleges and educational institutions which are open for all students, including gifted children, underachievers, backward children, mentally retarded children and delinquent children. Providing them with equal opportunity of education and making their school and learning experience as normal as possible. And to achieve this teachers, educators, educational institutions not only have to change but to adapt themselves to accommodate these children.
Why we need Inclusive Education
Education for all: In our Right to Education Act 2009, when we say that ‘education for all children’ by that we mean every single child including children with special needs, has the right to education.
Creating Empathy: In inclusive education children without disabilities are introduced with children with disabilities, they see, learn and help each other to overcome their barriers, creating the sense of belongingness in disable children and it makes children without disabilities more empathetic and accepting.
Building better Community: Children are our future, in inclusive education when we teach children with and without disabilities together, we make them accept and treat each other with equality, making them better citizens of the future.
Inclusive education in India
India is a country, with the most of its population being youth. Imagine the growth our country can have, if we engage it’s whole youth in the development of the country, and to make this a reality we need to educate them, including children with special needs, they too should be given the equal opportunity of education. Providing them with all the resources they need to make their learning experience easier.
There are many policies and acts that are made by the Government of India to support and encourage children with special needs, The National Trust Act (1999), National Curriculum Framework (2005), National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2006), Inclusive Education of Disabled at Secondary Stage(IEDSS, 2009-10) are some of them. But, despite all these policies and efforts, children with special needs are still seen as different, are excluded from society and are deprived from many opportunities. Thus, India still has many barriers to overcome to achieve success in inclusive education.
Inclusive Education Worldwide
There are many international organisations like UNESCO, UNICEF, that have been working from years to promote and protect the rights of the children with special needs they held many conferences to discuss the topic of inclusive education, THE Salamanca Conference, UNESCO (1994), World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal (2000), and many others. All these actions tell us how the world is working together for the betterment of children with special needs and disabilities.
Barriers to Inclusive Education
Unskilled Teachers: Teachers who are not given proper training to teach and handle the needs of children with special needs will create more problems than being the helpers of the children.
Physical Barriers: Many schools ask their students to attend school which creates problems for physically challenged children. Even when they attend it, they face environmental barriers like stairs, absence of ramps, and elevators. Creating difficulty for students even to enter in school or classroom.
Curriculum: A curriculum that is not made keeping the needs of children with disabilities in mind , and is incapable of meeting their learning needs is not right .
Ways to Support Inclusive Education
Training teachers: Teachers who want and are interested in teaching children with special needs should be trained properly so they can teach and handle them effectively .
Use of Technology: Physically challenged children who are unable to travel to school on a daily basis should be taught through online teaching, so that they can learn from the comfort of their homes.
Flexible Curriculum: The curriculum of inclusive education should allow experimentation and use of different teaching methods so that the learning needs of every child are met.
