Inclusive Education and Schools: A Summary

Excluded, Unreached Groups The national and sub-regional EFA Mid-Decade Assessment reports specifically identify groups excluded from education. But most countries do not have detailed data for each group. Ministries of Education are proud of net enrolment rates – and should be embarrassed by net NON-enrollment rates

Who are the Excluded? Learners from remote and rural communities Learners from religious, linguistic and ethnic minorities as well as indigenous peoples and children from lower castes Girls and women, especially from rural/ethnic minorities At-risk boys Learners from migrant families and refugees and stateless children

Who are the Excluded? Learners with disabilities/special needs Street children, working children Children in difficult circumstances (affected by armed conflict or disaster) Orphans and abandoned children Learners from very poor families Children affected or infected by HIV and AIDS

Inclusive Education Objective: To support Education for All, with special emphasis on removing barriers to participation and learning for those excluded: girls and women, the disabled, ethnic/linguistic minorities, migrants, and many others Those who are enrolled in schools but are excluded from learning Those who are not enrolled in schools but who could participate if schools were more flexible in their responses and welcoming in their approach The relatively small group of children with more severe impairments who may have a need for some form of additional support

Inclusive Education Definition: “A process of addressing and responding to the diversity of needs of all learners through (1) increasing participation in learning, cultures, and communities and (2) reducing exclusion within and from education. It involves changes and modifications in content, approaches, structures and strategies, with a common vision that covers all children of the appropriate age range and a conviction that it is the responsibility of the regular system to education all children.”

An Inclusive, Child-Friendly School… ...is a child-seeking school actively identifying excluded children to get them enrolled in school and included in learning promoting and helping to monitor the rights and well-being of ALL children in the community

A Child-Friendly School… Inclusive of Children Does not exclude, discriminate against, or stereotype on the basis of difference Provides education that is free and compulsory, affordable and accessible, especially to families and children at risk Respects and welcomes diversity and ensures equality of opportunity for all children (e.g., girls, ethnic minority and migrant children, children with disabilities, AIDS-affected children) Responds to diversity and difference as an opportunity -- not as a problem Meets the differing needs of children (e.g., based on sex, social class, ethnicity, and ability level)

Holistic Inclusive Policies and Practice Experiences in different countries in Asia show that it is not sufficient to look at how to integrate one particular group of children. While we need to understand and respond to the needs of each category of exclusion, the overall focus needs to be on how to develop strategies to remove barriers to learning and participation for all children. Only then do we achieve Education, of good quality, for All.

Inclusive Education is a Process Those excluded from education are often simply not seen. If seen, they are often not counted. If counted, they are often not served If served, they are often served badly. Inclusive education means making visible the invisible and ensuring that all learners fulfill their right to an education of good quality.

Inclusive Education is a Process Inclusive Education is a constant process of school improvement to ensure that Education for All really is for all