Are we ready for Inclusive Education?

The implementation of inclusive education is a challenging task because the

teachers involved in inclusive education must equip themselves with field knowledge
and pedagogical skills and, more importantly, they must have great passion for inclusive
education
Lot of work has been done to integrate students with special needs into main
stream education. It has been often seen classes a mix of special education students
and general education students. Placing children with and without disabilities in the
same classroom is a growing trend spurred by special education policy makers.
In the context of special needs, the Inclusive Education Programme is a
programme prepared for students who require special needs in learning where the
students study together with normal students in classes taught by general teachers at
mainstream schools. Most mainstream teachers do not understand why it is ideal for
special-needs students to receive education together with mainstream students as
teachers for special-needs children were specially trained and even receive an extra
allowance to teach. This assumption has become an excuse for separating learning of
special-needs students from that of normal students in mainstream classrooms. The
situation is made worse when mainstream teachers who do not understand the situation
are burdened with the presence of special needs students in their own classrooms.
Sometimes, parents of normal students also carry misconceptions that the presence of
special-needs students in mainstream classrooms may interfere with the teaching and
learning process. Worse, some may perceive special-needs students as ‘problematic’
students. For a long time, children with disabilities were educated in separate classes or in
separate schools. People got used to the idea that special education meant separate education.

But, we now know that when children are educated together, positive academic
and social outcomes occur for all the children involved.

We also know that simply placing children with and without disabilities together
does not produce positive outcomes. Inclusive education occurs when there is ongoing
advocacy, planning, support and commitment. These are the principles that guide
quality inclusive education:

Inclusive education is based on the simple idea that every child and family is
valued equally and deserves the same opportunities and experiences. Inclusive
education is about children with disabilities – whether the disability is mild or severe,
hidden or obvious – participating in everyday activities, just like they would if their
disability were not present. It’s about building friendships, membership and having
opportunities just like everyone else.
 Inclusion is about providing the help children need to learn and participate in
meaningful ways. Sometimes, help from friends or teachers works best. Other times,
specially designed materials or technology can help. The key is to give only as much
help as needed.

Inclusive education is a child’s right, not a privilege. The Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act clearly states that all children with disabilities should be
educated with non-disabled children their own age and have access to the general
education curriculum.

But the question is, are training programs enough to prepare teachers for this?
Many teacher-education programs offer just one class/chapter about students
with disabilities to their general-education teachers. It’s not ample to prepare teachers
for a class of children who can range from the gifted to students who read far below
grade level due to a learning disability.
Studies show that no one teaches teachers how to manage “different needs.” lot
of teachers have shared that because of time constraints, and a lack of support, “they
are hesitant to implement individualized instruction, and they do not even know how to
do so,”. Experts say the question is that it takes much more than just placing students
with disabilities next to their general-education peers. Teachers must have the time,
support, and training to felicitate all kinds of students in the class.
The level of education plays a major role in developing a positive attitude towards
inclusive education. Teacher's attitude is important factor other than few more variables
like age, gender, income level, education levels, years of teaching experience.
Acquaintance with a person with a disability, having a family member with a disability,
frequency of contact and closeness to a person with disability affect the attitudes of
teachers towards people with disabilities and towards inclusion of students with
disabilities into regular schools.
The requirement of teachers who have both the knowledge and the ability to
teach special needs students is more critical today than before. because of national
push to include children with special needs out of isolation means most now spend the
majority of their days in general-education classrooms, rather than in separate special-
education classes. That means general-education teachers are teaching more students
with disabilities. Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education could be formed and
developed in the context of an educational system which can provide some specific
conditions in order to have a good practice in this field. Those conditions refer to a
restructure of the curricula, more help from support teachers, more time for preparing
the educational activities, decreasing the number of students in one class, creating and
developing opportunities for interactive partnerships between teachers, students,
support teachers and parents and so on.
 The reform of the curriculum should be made in parallel with a proper training for
teachers regarding their knowledge of inclusion and its principles. The difficulties are
inherent to any change or reform, but it is necessary to develop an educational system
which can properly respond to all the needs, characteristics and individual differences of
all children in school. 
Generally speaking, to answer the question this statement is deemed necessary
“Teachers attitude, teachers training and curriculum reform is the way out to this. We
need to be very clear on the process of inclusive Education and be totally committed
towards the learning outcomes of the individual student.

Dr. Karl T. Credo

Education Program Specialist II
Division of Negros Oriental