The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO has played

an influential role in the consolidation of Learning models for Learners with Special
Education LSEN which are residential, exclusive and inclusion education for children with
special educational needs in schools. Model education for LSEN has been adopted to ensure
the quality and right to education for all learners. Therefore, this academic writing aims to
discuss the Models for learners with special education needs LSEN which are residential and
inclusive learning as well as highlighting their advantages and disadvantages.

Residential education refers to education provided to pupils who live on the school premises
which can be the boarding school or separate residential houses from the school either within
the school grounds or in the surrounding area. The boarding school means learners are given
rooms and boarding which is lodging and meals. However, not all residential education offers
lodging and meal to learners then learners has to live on separate residential houses from the
school either within the school grounds or in the surrounding area and provide food for
themselves.

According to UNESCO (2005), Inclusion education refers to a model where learners with
special needs spend most or all of their time with non-special needs learners called general
education needs students.  It arise in the context of special education with an individualized
education program and is built the equity education on the notion by providing effective
learning to learners with special needs and aims to give experience to them in order to be
more successful in social interactions leading to further success in life. Schools with inclusive
classrooms do not believe in separate classrooms. They do not have their own separate world
but they have to learn how to operate with students.

However, inclusive education can be offered in residential or day learning. Many schools
have inclusion classrooms and inclusive classes are set up in a number of ways. Some use a
collaborative team teaching or co-teaching model. With co-teaching, there’s a special
education teacher in the room all day. Other inclusive classes have special education teachers
“push in” at specific times during the day to teach instead of pulling learner out of class to a
separate room. In either case, both teachers are available to help all students.

To start with the advantages of inclusive residential learning, students quickly learn how to
perform many domestic chores and complete school assignments by themselves. They
become experts at managing their time, money and resources. These students mature quickly
and tend to be very independent and successful in learning and life, improving

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communication and social skills, increasing positive peer interactions, many educational
outcomes, and post school adjustments. Some may even learn the basics of another language
as a result of the friendships. For example, those who stay in boarding school for at least
three years typically become bilingual, meaning they can read, write and speak two
languages. Bilingual students possess a valuable skill that gives them a significant advantage
in the domestic and international workforce.

Furthermore, Pijil, S. J., & Frostad, P. (2010), residential or Boarding school students live
and attend classes regularly with people from a variety of cultures and also spend most of
their time with different people, in short they live in a place of many culture while been less
discriminatory children without disabilities that learn in inclusive classrooms also learn to
appreciate and respect the differences in one another and live amicably

Ministry of Education, Namibia. (2013), an inclusion class often brings speech therapists,
reading specialists and other service providers into the classroom. These professionals can
provide information and suggestions to help all students if a child is not eligible for special
education, but still needs some extra support, can be provided to that child with some
informal support. Teachers also benefits by developing their teaching skills and ability to
differentiate lessons and activities. Inclusion is advantageous to teachers because it allows
them to strengthen their collaboration skills as they work together with other teachers,
specialists, and parents to figure out the best education plan for their students with special
needs.

According to education academic analysis (2008) residential learners usually perform better
academically than those at day school because they live in an environment that is conducive
to learning because distractors likes television, video games, phones and other are limited as
compared to learners coming from their parents. They also graduate with exceptional
character and demeanour.

It is a fact that many schools, colleges and universities in Zambia are fully residential in
nature than day schools. And it is also the fact that this type of learning advantage and
disadvantages learners somewhere hence the following are advantages and disadvantages of
residential education

If the school do not have good system of controlling and discipline learners, there is chance
for learners going astray and falling to external and internal temptations however this type of
education disadvantaged learners in many ways some are as follows. If there are no strict

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control for uniformity in dress, food, money and utility materials students may develop
complexes. They may get bored about the stereotype food and routine and may crave for
change, which may force them to resort to wrongdoings also. That can cause many issues
even leading to physical and verbal intimidations, withdrawing of schools and becoming
aloof. Students may feel insecure and uncared when falling illness.

Throughout the study, teachers, parents and pupils indicated that lack of or inadequate
teaching and learning resources in schools contributed to hindering schools from practicing
effective inclusive education. Similarly, Mandyata (2002), found out that, inadequate
provision of specialised training and resources to equip teachers in handling children with
special educational needs in ordinary classes contributed to many pupils dropping out of
school.

Parents, teachers and traditional leaders indicated that economic factors such as poverty and
unemployment contributed greatly to exclusion of children with special need from accessing
education. Most parents of children with learning disabilities were unemployed and poor.
Similarly, Kelly (1991) reported that children with learning disabilities especially girls were
victims of poverty. Their parents in most cases were poor and had to struggle to feed and
clothe them. Paying school fees was a luxury for such parents.

The researcher observed that, despite efforts by Ministry of Education to introduce inclusive
education in Zambia, infrastructure was not yet modified to accommodate children with
learning disabilities. For example, there were no ramps, no rails along the corridors and no
acoustic materials in most schools. Doors in most school buildings did not allow wheel chairs
to pass. This situation made the learning environment somewhat hostile to pupils with
learning disabilities.

To sum up, inclusive residential education has empowered or aims to promote quality and
equity education to both learners general needs education learners and learners with special
needs of nation and to the need of the society hence it is the duty of the government to
encourage and provide inclusive residential learning to the society.

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