Education is the right of all children and the students with physical learning problems are of no less value than students who benefit from the best academic and social opportunities. Inclusive Education is an approach, which aims to ensure that all children have access to appropriate, relevant affordable and meaningful education to effectively interact within their community. It is a commitment to do everything possible to provide appropriate learning support for all students in the home with the family. This commitment may not be fulfilled without providing trained teachers who may identify students having special needs and meet their needs in a befitting manner.
The principle of Inclusive Education starts from the belief that the right to education is a basic human right and foundation for a just society. Thus it provides response to the broad spectrum of meeting learning needs in regular school system. Inclusion involves changes and modification in contents, approaches, structure and strategies of teacher training programs to educate all children regardless of their learning difficulties in regular school. The successful inclusion depends on understanding of basic knowledge and skills of teachers about needs of children having disabilities and how to meet these needs through advanced level training of teachers who may shoulder
specific responsibilities of teaching studentshaving special needs in regular schools. Apart from this, special school teachers also need training not only to update their knowledge skills but also to help prospective teacher and to act as mentors, consultants and support workers.
The vision for Education For All EFA, reaffirmed at the Dakar World Education forum in April, 2000 stated clearly that Inclusive Education is vital if EFA is to be achieved. The forum set as its second EFA goal; “Ensuring that by 2015 all children have access to and complete free and compulsory education of good quality” and as its sixth EFA goal; “Improving all aspects of the quality of Education”.
Inclusive does include with disabilities, such as children who have difficulties in seeing or hearing, who cannot walk, or who are slower to learn. However, inclusive includes all children who are left out of or excluded from school and from learning. These children may not speak the language of the classroom, are at risk of dropping out because they are sick, hungry, or not achieving, or belong to a different religion or caste
Over the years, the term inclusive has come to mean including children with disabilities in regular classrooms designed for children without disabilities.An inclusive, learning-friendly environment (ILFE) welcomes, nurtures and educates all children regardless of their gender, physical, intellectual, social economic emotional, linguistic or other characteristics. They may be disabled or gifted children; street or working children; children of remote or nomadic people; children from linguistic, ethnic or cultural minorities; children affected by HIV AIDS; children from other disadvantaged or marginalized areas or groups.
Inclusive Education is concerned with all learners, with a focus on those who have traditionally been excluded from educational opportunities such as learners with special needs and disabilities. Regular schools with inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all.
The difference between mainstreaming and inclusion is philosophical, in mainstreaming, children with disabilities has to ”be ready” to be integrated into the mainstream. The emphasis was placed on helping the child with disabilities to meet the existing expectations of the classroom. Often the children with disabilities were regarded as a visitors in the classroom and were actually assigned (according to school records) to a special education class (Schorr, 1990). In inclusive education, children with disabilities are full-time members of the general education classroom. The emphasis in Inclusive Education is providing the support necessary so that the children can participate in meaningful way in the ongoing classroom activities. Support may include adaptation of the curriculum, materials, or instructional practices. Support may also include adaptation of staff, consultation, or specialized training for the existing staff. Supporting services, such as speech therapy and physical therapy are conducted in natural places in the school environment, including the classroom, gym and playground.
To achieve these aims, it is critical to sensitize teachers and education administrators to the importance of Inclusive Education. It is equally critical to give them practical tools to analyze their situation and ensure that all children attend school and learn to their fullest capacity.
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