Daily Times

Understanding inclusive education is necessary for the citizens of a country in general and for educational policymakers in particular. Without understanding the concept and essence of inclusive education, inclusive education seems to be inconceivable to reach at its practical end. Initially, the terminology of inclusive education was given concentration by the Europeans and Americans. It was termed as SNE (Special Needs Education).

In the 18th century, SNE began to bring the children who could not see and listen. In the 19th century, children with a disability were given emphasis. And in the 20th century, children with special needs became the center of the concept of inclusive education.

In addition to the 20th century, the “1944 Education Act” was implemented in the United States which included reformative indicators to the concept of inclusive education. The indicators were “uneducable”, “maladjusted”, “educationally abnormal” and “especially educational treatment”. Under these indicators, separate classrooms were provided to the children. Further, the decade of 1950 became the prior period when the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) made education the fundamental rights of every child. Following this, the concept of EFA (Education for All) emerged.

Education for all furthered the concept of inclusive education. It did not limit its conceptualization to the children only or people with bodily disabilities. It began to include people from every age, gender, race, caste and creed. People with a higher age were and are unacceptable by the children in the classrooms. The colonial mentality of the race was and is still entrenched into the minds. Attitude towards lower castes was and is another result of the exclusion of people in educational institutions. And most pivotally, religious belief and their fundamental inculcation remained and remains the most debilitating factor hitting the education system across the world.

The prime position here must be the core cause of exclusion in education. According to the Better Education Report 2009, there are three main factors leading towards exclusion in education. Firstly, it is the attitude of one mate to the other and teachers to the students. Secondly, it is a lack of acceptability. Thirdly, and most crucially, it is the defect of the resources. Therefore, the trends that have prevailed across the world regarding exclusion are purely socio-cultural. These trends are well witnessed in Asian countries in general and in Pakistan in particular.

Article 3 (b) of the Constitution of Pakistan states, “No citizen shall be denied admission to any educational institution receiving aid from public revenues on the ground only of race, religion, caste or place of birth”. Moreover, Article 37 (a) reiterates, “The state shall promote, with special care, the educational and economic interests of backward classes or areas”. But is there practicality on the constitutional provisions on education in Pakistan? This seems an inconceivable fact for this society at large.

Passing through every report and policy on education, one cannot deny the fact that inclusive education in Pakistan is among the lowest priorities of any government. The report published by Alif Alaan quite appositely states that there is a huge gender disparity in the education system in Pakistan. The report stated that “Out of the 5.06 million children not going to primary school, 60% are girls”. Owing to this condition, exclusion in education has become rampant across the country. Furthermore, it is not only gender-based exclusion in the education system. There is the cultural, ethnic, religious and lingual problem that hinders numerous people from getting the proper education. For this exclusionary attitude in education to come to a drastic end, every individual- particularly teachers and parents- in the society is supposed to play his due role.

To conclude, it is necessary to take practical measures to bring a gradual end to the exclusionary education system across the world. This can only be possible after the concept of inclusive education is properly understood. Europe has become successful in the regard. In the 2013 European Commission’s IEPs (Inclusive Education Plan), they adopted well-developed and futurist approaches to minimize exclusion in education.

Firstly, it was “decentralization” in the education system. Decentralization would bring efficient means to deal with every educational institution with the demands required according to its needs. Secondly, it was an “effective funding regime”. When decentralization is implemented, it would call for a bunch of funds to facilitate the structure of institutions. And lastly, it was “provision of specialist support to teachers”. No doubt, teachers play an essential role in inculcating the idea of acceptance. Without acceptance, the idea of inclusion is far from practicality. Thus, it is the need of the hour for the people across the world to fully understand and make others understand the essence of inclusion in education and the worth of education itself.

The writer is a social researcher interested in various social issues.