Inclusive Education in India- Today and Tomorrow | Child Development and Pedagogy for CTET Preparation - CTET & State TET PDF Download

Introduction

• Inclusive Education (IE) is a recent approach in the Indian education system.
• The Government of India initiated the Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC) scheme in December 1974 to provide educational opportunities to Children with Special Needs (CWSN) in regular schools.
• The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, emphasized education for equality, addressing various sections including women, scheduled castes/scheduled tribes, minorities, and the handicapped.
• In the 1980s, the Ministry of Welfare established an institution to monitor and regulate Human Resource Development (HRD) programs in disability rehabilitation.
• Until the 1990s, the majority of children with disabilities were excluded from mainstream education.
• The Programme of Action (1992) stressed the integration of children with special needs with other groups.
• In 1997, the philosophy of inclusive education was incorporated into the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP).
• The National Policy for Persons with Disability, 2006, aimed to ensure a dignified life for persons with disabilities.
• The Right to Education Act (2009) guarantees free and compulsory education to all children between ages six to fourteen.
• The New Education Policy 2020 focuses on providing quality education to historically marginalized, disadvantaged, and underrepresented groups.
• Inclusive education ensures all students, regardless of challenges, are placed in age-appropriate general education classes in their neighborhood schools.
• The Salamanca Statement (1994) emphasizes accommodating all children regardless of conditions.
• Inclusive education addresses the diversity of all learners and seeks effective and meaningful education for everyone.
• Inclusive education recognizes and values differences among students, promoting creativity and shared experiences.
• The New Education Policy (2020) emphasizes principles such as recognizing unique capabilities, respecting diversity, and ensuring equity and inclusion in educational decisions.
• Inclusion maximizes the potential of students, ensures their rights, and is the preferred educational approach for the 21st century.

Objectives:

• Analyze the need for inclusive education in the current education context.
• Identify the major challenges hindering the implementation of inclusive education in India.
• Propose remedial measures to overcome these barriers.

Method and Materials

• Adopted an analytical research method.
• Gathered data from secondary sources such as books, journals, policy documents, newspapers, and the internet.

Discussion

Inclusive Education - Why?

• Inclusive education is a significant concern globally, involving educationists, psychologists, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders.
• Regular schools with an inclusive approach are effective in combating discrimination, fostering inclusive societies, and achieving education for all (UNESCO, 1994).
• According to UNICEF (2003), around 70% of children with disabilities, including those with mild mental retardation, can attend regular schools if the environment is accessible and accommodating.
• Research demonstrates that inclusion in classrooms enhances skills and achievement for all students, irrespective of abilities or learning needs.
• It provides equal opportunities for students with and without disabilities to engage in collaborative learning experiences, fostering academic and social growth.
• Inclusive education allows students with disabilities to access the same curriculum as their peers, leading to higher academic achievements.
• With appropriate support, students with disabilities can actively participate in learning, enhancing their understanding and academic growth.
• Inclusive settings promote friendships, improve communication and social skills, and create caring classroom environments.
• Inclusion ensures equal opportunities for learning and success, regardless of abilities or backgrounds, acknowledging each child's uniqueness.
• It is a vital tool for promoting an inclusive and tolerant society, making inclusive education imperative for today and the future.

Major Challenges of Inclusive Education in India

• India, as the 7th largest country globally, boasts vast and diverse landscapes, populations, religions, and cultures.
• Census data from 2011 ranks India as the world's second most populous country, with 1.21 billion people, following China.
• India accounts for 17% of the global population and 20% of the world's out-of-school children, with 2.21% being disabled.
• According to UNICEF, approximately 30 million children in India have some form of disability.
• Globally, 10% of the population lives with a disability, with 80% residing in developing countries, and 75% of these individuals in rural areas of India.
• Despite efforts by the Indian government to implement inclusive policies, there hasn't been significant progress in developing an inclusive educational system.
• Initiatives like Sarba Siksha Abhijan (SSA) and Rastriya Madyamik Siksha Abhijan (RMSA) haven't yielded substantial results.
• The Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, reserves 3% of educational seats for children with disabilities, but implementation challenges persist.
• The 8th All India School Education Survey (AISES) by NCERT reveals inadequate training for teachers in inclusive education, with only 1.32% receiving training.
• Only a small percentage of schools have necessary facilities like handrails, wheelchair ramps, and adapted toilets.
• The number of disabled students decreased between 2002 and 2009, with orthopedically disabled students experiencing the most significant decrease.
• Challenges hindering inclusive education in India include social and attitudinal barriers, lack of infrastructure, unskilled teachers, inadequate funding, communication gaps, and a lack of disability-friendly curriculum.

Measures to overcome the barriers

• Inclusive education fosters individuality and promotes social equality among learners.
• It cultivates a sense of belongingness and provides quality education for all children, changing discriminatory attitudes.
• Educating children with disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers is crucial for inclusive education in India.
• NEP 2020 aligns with RPWD Act 2016, endorsing recommendations for inclusive education.
• Measures for effective implementation of inclusive education include:
  • Ensuring equal educational opportunities for all children.
  • Providing basic infrastructural facilities such as ramps, railings, and disability-friendly toilets.
  • Implementing flexible teaching and learning methodologies, curriculum, and evaluation systems.
  • Training parents and family members to create a gender-sensitive and child-friendly social environment.
  • Involving the community in promoting awareness and acceptance of inclusive education.
  • Establishing linkages between community-based rehabilitation programs and inclusive education.
  • Timely provision of student-oriented components such as educational assessment, support services, and assistive devices.
  • Establishing an adequate number of resource centers and promoting research to improve learning for differently-abled children.
  • Providing training to sensitize teachers towards disability and inclusion issues, both pre-service and in-service.
  • Intensive training for general teachers to equip them with positive attitudes to work in inclusive environments.

Conclusion

Education is the inherent right of every child, regardless of their background. The Government of India has undertaken numerous initiatives to ensure that every child has access to basic education, irrespective of factors like caste, color, religion, or language. In today's context, there is a growing demand for an inclusive society achieved through an inclusive approach. Inclusive education is a powerful concept that serves as a catalyst for positive societal change, envisioning a brighter and more accepting future for all. A successful inclusive education system is characterized by the equal participation of all students in classroom activities, fostering an environment of equality.
The effectiveness of inclusive education hinges on various factors, including community support, the availability of high-quality teaching materials and assistive devices, curriculum modifications, adequate training for professionals and staff, attitudinal shifts among stakeholders, transportation facilities, and scholarships for learners. Overcoming barriers to the effective implementation of inclusive education is imperative. The Government of India has demonstrated its commitment to this cause through initiatives such as the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
NEP 2020 underscores the importance of embedding inclusive educational structures and cultures within the school education system. It advocates for infrastructural support and curriculum adjustments, integrating materials that promote human values such as respect, empathy, tolerance, human rights, gender equality, non-violence, global citizenship, inclusion, and equity. The policy urges stakeholders to address barriers and dismantle biases and stereotypes through sensitization programs.
In conclusion, integrating children with disabilities into the education system poses a significant challenge that requires widespread community mobilization and involvement. Additionally, it necessitates the provision of appropriate responses to the diverse learning needs of special children in both formal and non-formal educational settings.