1.

0 INTRODUCTION

Keeping up with the global trend toward inclusive education, Malaysia officially
started its attempts to include students with special needs in mainstream education.
The implementation of the inclusive education program (IEP) is mentioned in the
Education (Special Education) Regulations 2013, Malaysian Education Act 1996
(1998) which allows special need students to attend the same class with other students
either government school or a government-aided school. It also stated that pupil with
special educational needs (SEN) as:

Pupil with SEN

Visual disability,

Hearing disability,

Speech disability,

Physical disability,

Learning difficulties,

Any combination of the

diabilities above.

2.0 CONCEPT, AIM AND POLICY OF IEP

2.1 CONCEPT

Basically, IEP is a program offered for SEN to give opportunity to learn with
their friends in one classroom. According to Ministry of Education (MOE) (2013) in
Rosmalily Salleh & Woollard, J. (2019), there are two approaches taken by the
inclusive education programme involving pupils with SEN which are full inclusion
whereby pupils learn full time with mainstream pupils in all subjects, and partial
inclusion whereby pupils learn certain academic subjects or involved in co-academic
or co-curricular activities alongside mainstream pupils.
2.2 AIM

Based on MOE (2018), the aim of IEP is to increase access to education for
pupil with SEN to learn with the mainstream students in an environment without
obstacle. Therefore, IEP increases their participation in academic or non-academic
other than spreading awareness to public to believe that their inability can be
minimized if given the same opportunity.

2.3 POLICY

IEP can be divided into two main policies. For international level, policy can be
seen on Salamanca 1994 statement which suggested that financial allocation is
provided in the education system so that it can be improved to help children with
special need absorbed into the education system regardless of individual differences
and abilities. Meanwhile, there are four policies for Malaysia:

NATIONAL POLICY
Persons With Code of Practice Malaysia Education
Disabilities Act on Education Education (Special
(2008) for Pupil with Blueprint Education)
• Access to equal Special (2013-2025) Regulations
education for Education • Encourage more 2013
pupil with SEN are Needs (2015) pupil with SEN • Special Education
also set out in the involve with IEP to Integration
Laws of Malaysia, • Opportunity to improve the
gain access for Program
Act 685 at under quality of its
Section 28 (1) appropriate and • IEP
provision
relevant
education
3.0 IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE MATHEMATICS PRIMARY EDUCATION

Based on IEP Guidelines for Special Need Students (Trial Edition) in Yin T.
K., Jiar Y. K. & Hadijah Jaffri (2014), there are five elements in the implementation of
IEP:

Pupils' criteria Pupils' placement Teacher Teaching and learning Assessment

•They have to pass •A maximum of three •Should be given •Follow the national •Should be given the
certain asessment months trial. For professional curriculum in same assessment as
which determined by those who fail, will development to mainstream class well as evaluation
MOE for the be returned to manage them •Modifications can be either in curriculum
qualification integration •Teachers in made to ease their or co-curriculum
•Will be included in programme in special mainstream class learning •Should be given
the same age or education collaborate with SEN •Individual Education equal chance to sit in
different one year •Not more than five teachers Planning can be public examination
older than the pupils with SEN in a made in order to look
mainstream mainstream class and into their appropriate
classroom they will be placed in intervention needs.
a mainstream class
which consist not
more than 35 pupils

4.0 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ON IMPLEMENTATION

Educational leaders’ positive attitudes toward inclusion is one of the strongest

indicators for the success of IEP which also supported by Cammy D. Romanuck
Murphy (2018) who stated that educational leaders are ultimately responsible for
ensuring that students with disabilities get the education for which they have fought for
decades. One of the significant roles of IEP in mathematics primary school is teacher
needs to accept their presence in the mainstream class by considering appropriate
methods and strategies of teaching mathematics. They can collaborate with special
education teachers to increase the pupils’ performance. For example, teacher can use
technology as teaching aids which we know that it has been used globally across the
country while striving to compete with another country on TIMSS and PISA. In addition,
school administrator needs to ensure that their facilities are adequate in order to
provide condusive environment to learn in the class.

5.0 CHALLENGES AND STEPS TO OVERCOME ON IMPLEMENTATION

One of the challenges of IEP is a lack of funding to provide a comfortable

learning environment for certain schools. The interview was held by Sufean Hussin,
Hwa, Q. A. & Cheong, L. S. on challenges to transform policy into practice for special
educators for children with autism is stated that high costing is involved in improving
the infrastructures such as room modification , purchase of teaching aids/resources
and raw materials to facilitate teaching and learning. The problem can be solved by
 collecting funds from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) in the school so that the
fund can cover the facilities for pupils with SEN in the class.

Other than that, the culture of elitism among schools make it difficult to fully
include children with SEN. Media reports on schools’ and students’ performance
intensify competition and further marginalise SEN students, who, to a large extent, are
not expected to compete (Zalizan M. Jelas & Manisah Mohd Ali, 2014). Therefore,
implementation of IEP is difficult to applied especially elit school. One of the ways to
overcome is school administrator need to prepare skilled teachers in IEP in order for
the program to success and subsequently contribute to school’s achievement. They
should attend seminars and workshops while striving to build an elit school.

6.0 CRITICAL FACTORS OF IEP TO SUCCESS

Special Education Program School Committee

•Assist in implementation of IEP in every school

Infrastructure and Equipment

•Class physical such as chairs and tables

•School physical such as toilet
•Special equipment such as Braille Machine

Smart (PINTAR) Cooperation

•Cooperation between various agencies to ensure effectiveness of programme

Services Support

•Intervention, therapy and rehailitation

7.0 CONCLUSION

Ultimately, everyone needs to be positive and understand the implementation

of IEP. This is matter because the support of all parties, especially teachers,
community, parents and students play a significant role in the success of the IEP in
school. Thus, all special need students can get the same education and opportunities
to achieve success in their future life.