Inclusive Education and Practices of 21st-Century Teachers in Sindh

Abstract

Education is the right of every individual, regardless of race, creed, gender, abilities, or skills, and children with and without special needs as well. As a long time has passed, those who are concerned and working in the field of education still face serious questions like what kind of strategies or methodologies should be adopted or adapted to provide education to differently abled children and ordinary children in the same context. It is necessary to find out the teachers' practices towards the implementation of inclusive education in Sindh. The key purpose of this study was to identify the practical challenges faced by teachers towards the successful implementation of inclusive education in public primary-level schools in Sindh. The population of the current study was the public primary-level schools of the city of Nawabshah, Sindh. A self-designed questionnaire was developed and distributed among the 16 public primary-level schools (8 boys and 8 girls), and one senior teacher and two students from each school were selected as a sample for the study. The questionnaire consisted of 15 items related to teachers' practices for implementing inclusive education in their respective schools, and five items pertain to concerned students. The SPSS software was utilized for data analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the teachers of public primary schools were unaware of the teaching practices of differently abled children. Moreover, they never attended seminars or conferences and did not undergo any training regarding the implementation of inclusive education. The study recommended that a chapter regarding the concept of inclusive education, including teaching practices, be included in teachers' training manuals so that teachers are aware of the concept of inclusion or inclusive education and teaching practices regarding an inclusive classroom. Moreover, there were some hindrances in policy, school leadership, adequate teaching and learning material, and curriculum.