Exploring the Scope of Intervention Strategies Employed by Tertiary Institutions in the Implementation of Inclusive Education in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The concept of inclusive education has attracted the active attention of many scholars, academics and even ordinary people in Zimbabwe and globally. This study sets itself to review landmarks in the evolution of inclusive educationin Zimbabwe in response to developments in Zimbabwe and on the international arena. As the discourse unfolds intervention strategies adopted by tertiary institutions in implementing inclusive education are highlighted. In order to get a deeper insight into the extent to which inclusive education is being implemented in Zimbabwe, the researchers engaged a case study of Masvingo Teachers' College. The college is one of the many tertiary institutions in the country. Pursuant to this objective, it was deemed important to assess the college's thrust in articulating inclusive education on critical focal areas such as: accessibility of library and office rooms; sports; compatibility of lecture and dining rooms; the service environment and teaching practice support services. The discussion extends to cover the benefits of inclusive education. The major findings of this study were that: (i) The College had crafted excellent policy documents in favour of inclusive education. (ii) The political will to implement inclusive education though evident but was not matched with the objective reality that obtained on the ground. (iii) The college was seriously lagging behind in terms of upgrading infrastructure and technical services to meet the modern requirements for effective implementation of inclusive education. The basic conclusion was that the massive resources required to fully implement inclusivity were grossly inadequate both from the local college level and central government perspective. On the basis of observed findings and conclusions the paper winds up by promulgating a number of recommendations envisioned to improve the implementation of inclusive education at tertiary level in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the world.