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Challenges Facing Implementation of Inclusive Education in Public Secondary Schools in Rongo Sub - County, Migori County, Kenya
Challenges Facing Implementation of Inclusive Education in Public Secondary Schools in Rongo Sub - County, Migori County, Kenya
Challenges Facing Implementation of Inclusive Education in Public Secondary Schools in Rongo Sub - County, Migori County, Kenya
Abstract: The thrust of this study was to investigate the challenges facing the implementation of inclusive
education programme in public secondary schools in Rongo Sub-County, Migori County. The study had two fold
objectives, namely (i) To analyze the factors hindering the implementation of the inclusion process for all the
school-going-age children and, (ii) to examine the copping strategies to challenges facing implementation
special needs education curriculum. It was premised on the classical liberal theory of equal opportunities
advanced by Sherman and Wood (1982). The study sample comprised of 5 students with special educational
needs per school from all the types of school as boarding, day mixed, yielding a total of 170 students, all school
principals, three teachers per school and the Sub-County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer .Data was
collected using questionnaires for students and teachers and interview schedules for school principals and the
District Quality Assurance Standards Officer. The main research instruments used were questionnaires,
interview guides and observation checklists. The major findings were that, first, physical and critical teaching
learning resources were either inadequate or were quite dilapidated. Secondly, there were inadequate
specialized teachers to handle the special needs education curriculum. Third, there were several socioeconomic and cultural variables that constraints effective teaching and learning in most sampled schools. It
was recommended that the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of education should put in place
adequate and appropriate physical and human resources to enhance the implementation of SNE not only in the
in the study locale but all other areas experiencing similar constraints.[257 words].
Keywords: Physical resources, teaching learning resources, special needs education Rongo Sub-County,
Migori County, Kenya
I.
Introduction
Background of the study
This paper perceives inclusion in education as a process of addressing and responding to the diversity
of needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures, and communities, and reducing
exclusion within and from education. It therefore involves a range of changes and modifications in content,
approaches, structures and strategies, with a common vision which covers all children with Special Educational
Needs and a conviction that it is the responsibility of the regular system to educate all children (UNESCO,
2005).
In this context, inclusive school must put flexibility and variety at its core. This should be evident in
the structure of the school, the content of the curriculum, the attitudes and beliefs of staff, parents, and pupils,
and the goal should be, to offer every individual a relevant education and optimal opportunities for
development (UNESCO, 2005). Parents and pupils themselves have important contributions to make to shape
the implementation of inclusion (Lindsay, 2007).
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10% of any populations are disabled and in
addition approximately 85% of the worlds children with disability below 15 years live in the developing
countries. In 1994, UNESCO world conference on special needs held in Salamanca, Spain the idea of inclusive
education was given further impetus. Every child has unique characteristics, interests, abilities and learning
needs and those with special needs must have access to regular schools which should accommodate them with a
child-centered pedagogy capable of meeting those needs. The concept of inclusive education is based on the fact
that all children and young people, despite different cultural, social and learning backgrounds, should have
equivalent learning opportunities in all kinds of schools (UNESCO, 2008). UNESCO emphasizes that education
systems, schools and teachers should focus on generating inclusive settings that uphold the values of respect and
understanding of cultural, social and individual diversity. Essentially, inclusive education is an approach that
looks into how to transform education systems and other learning environments in order to respond to the
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II.
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III.
The gist of this study was to examine the strategies employed by primary school stakeholders to cope
with the challenges experienced in implementing inclusive education in Rongo Sub- County, Migori County,
Kenya. The study has come up with several findings which lead us to arrive at nine conclusions. First, one of
the challenges encountered by teachers in their effort to implement the SNE programme in schools is
inadequate teaching-learning resources in the schools practicing inclusive education in schools in Migori County
such as play facilities and instruments, assistive devices ,space and an up to-date curriculum to guide the
concerned teachers.
Secondly, the teachers who were sampled in the schools with special units were trained but had
inadequate experience and confidence to handle the pupils with special needs effectively. They therefore were
for the policy idea of frequent in-service training by the Government.
Third the other key barriers to effective SNE implementation process in public primary schools are
mainly; socio-cultural factors leading to stigmatization, parental factors such as highly un-cooperative parents
and delayed disbursement of funds to the area education office dealing with the SNE programme.
Fourth, in almost all the studied schools, the main respondents were female teachers and this depicts
that most of the special needs education trained teachers were mainly females. From some informal interviews
conducted from the school-community within, most of these pupils were brought to and picked from school by
their female parents or guardians.
Fifth, some of the strategies that need to be put in place for successful implementation of SNE are
increased funding by government, faith-based organizations, donors, and other well-wishers. Others include
parents teachers co-operation, frequent door to door home-visits of SNE teachers to pupils with learning
difficulties homes, proper planning in schools to cater for the special pupils needs adequately and provision of a
well-defined curriculum.
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The trained teachers in the required skills for inclusion should be posted to various schools putting into
consideration the pupil teacher ratio and number of lessons taught per subject if we are to attain 100%
literacy and get every child of 6+ years to school as per the basic education act, (2013) without
experiencing hiccups as dropouts and low completion rates for the realization of efficient integration.
5.
The guidance counselors are the key role players in ensuring that the goals of inclusive education are
actualized in Nigeria and in other developing nations. The counselors should guide students with special
needs to develop their capacities as thinkers and make them have the awareness of their capacities as
thinkers; capable of developing skills, tools, attitudes to become increasingly independent as learners.
6. Policy guidelines to be formulated and implemented to the letter decentralizing
the
system of admission of students with special educational needs as it has been realized that some principals
deny some disabled children admission because they do not have appropriate facilities to cater for their
inclusion, for efficiency to be realized in the provision of inclusive education, the government should
enforce workable policies through appropriate implementation.
7. The inclusive education has been lauded in this study as the latest acceptable educational alternatives for
special needs persons all over the world; it enables bringing together the students with special needs and
their normal counterpart into one educational environment without discrimination. As a consequence, it is
strongly recommended that for inclusive education to be successful, all stakeholders and policy makers
involved in inclusive educational provision not only in Kenya but also most other developing countries
experiencing similar challenges must join forces to promote this aspect of education, which is the true
representation of the Education for All.
8. Policy guidelines to be formulated and implemented to the letter decentralizing
the
system of admission of students with special educational needs as it has been realized that some principals
deny some disabled children admission because they do not have appropriate facilities to cater for their
inclusion, for efficiency to be realized in the provision of inclusive education, the government should
enforce workable policies through appropriate implementation.
9. The inclusive education has been lauded in this study as the latest acceptable educational alternatives for
special needs persons all over the world; it enables bringing together the students with special needs and
their normal counterpart into one educational environment without discrimination. As a consequence, it is
strongly recommended that for inclusive education to be successful, all stakeholders and policy makers
involved in inclusive educational provision not only in Kenya but also most other developing countries
experiencing similar challenges must join forces to promote this aspect of education, which is the true
representation of the Education for All.
10. The government should make all the possible efforts to improve and modify the
existing physical
facilities to make sure they are barrier-free and therefore easily
accessible to all learners. It should also
increase the budgetary allocation to SNE in its annual budget
11. . Teacher training should be enhanced especially through in-service training of the classroom teacher and
more colleges established for those willing to undertake training in the SNE field and those already in
existence upgraded to offer quality teacher training.
12. Creation of mass awareness among all the stake holders on the plight of learners with special needs and
especially establish collaboration between the teachers and parents. This will go along way in changing the
negative attitude towards implementation of the SNE programme. Currently, some of the teachers
interviewed argued that the ongoing home-based programmes have not been very successful since they lack
financial support to undertake this programme. There are set days when the SNE teachers visit the parents
who have children with special learning needs in their homes but the challenge is the very high expectations
of parents during such visits. More days should be allocated for such visits in a week through the Area
Special Education Coordinator and increase funding to try and help these parents during such visits in their
homes especially with the basic human needs.
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