Inclusive education: a prerequisite for equity and social justice

Abstract

Whether education fosters equity and social justice, as it is said to do, is a matter of debate. Whatever the outcome of the debate, education has a better chance of succeeding in this process if it is delivered through a national system and through schools which are genuinely inclusive in nature—welcoming difference and diversity; attempting to fulfil the rights for education of good quality; and targeting both out-of-school children and children in school but not learning. But many education systems still have large numbers of children who are not achieving minimum expected levels of learning—usually because of neglect, disinterest, discriminatory policies, and/or a lack of resources and data about who are excluded, where they live, and why they are not in school. The concept of “inclusive education” now has a wider definition encompassing all obstacles to access and learning beyond a focus on children with disabilities and other special needs. It is therefore concerned with increasing enrolment, attendance, and completion; reducing repetition/drop-out/push-out rates; reducing disparities in provision and student; and celebrating diversity and promoting cohesion. This, in turn, requires an analysis of what causes exclusion; “sharing the blame” for failure; and the searching for, and targeted support to, those excluded. Exclusion can be based on many factors: e.g. migration and refugee status, conflict, natural disaster, income, linguistic/cultural status, location (e.g. remoteness), sex, and ability. A range of policies and practices, at both the school and Ministry level, can be put in place to make schools more inclusive: legislative mandates and whole-school reform; targeted responses to excluded groups; pedagogies which strengthen social-emotional learning and celebrate difference and diversity; the promotion of inclusive teaching–learning strategies and practices; and good quality, inclusive early childhood care and development (ECCD) programmes. In the best of worlds (where factors outside of education which sustain inequality are not insurmountable), and assuming that the education provided meets established standards of quality, children leaving an inclusive education system should be able not only to develop themselves to their fullest potential but also to play a useful role in local and national economic, social, and political development leading to a more just, equitable, and cohesive society.