Conceptions, perceptions and practices of inclusive education in schools in Karnataka (India): moving beyond normative prescriptions and blame-game

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ABSTRACT The elementary education sector in India has been changing rapidly over the past three decades. Government policies and programmes have facilitated the inclusion of children from disadvantaged groups, including children with disabilities. While there is near universal enrolment in practice, inclusion is fraught with difficulties. This paper analyses classroom practice and the perspectives of teachers in Karnataka, a state in the South of India, in the light of national policy directives. It is based on a field study of five schools across different districts in Karnataka. This study focused on understanding the context of inclusion primarily in terms of classroom practices, teachers’ perspectives of inclusion, and their professional needs for catering to diverse classrooms. Our findings suggest that the Indian state is attempting to make the education system inclusive drawing from international treatises, declarations and commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals, but with little contextual engagement. Additionally, teachers have little conceptual understanding and methodological awareness about how to make schools inclusive. This paper argues that to effectively adopt and adapt international policy prescriptions, an aligned vision of inclusive education along with systemic support, and robust teacher education is needed to support inclusive classroom practices.