Inclusive Education in Macao SAR: The Influence of Colonial Legacy, Confucian Values, and School Marketisation on Policy and Practice

Abstract

The rise of inclusive school provision is unstoppable across Asia-Pacific countries—but the uniqueness of its conceptualisation and subsequent implementation is manifest in many ways. Geography, the cultural context of the place and the values embedded in the practices of the community, legal framework, economy, and tensions between past and current policies, especially in regions with a colonial legacy, are all decisive yet variable factors. They give each region’s perception of inclusive education a unique character. Macao SAR is an example of a multicultural city situated at the crossroads of various cultural, economic, and religious influences which play a role in the development of inclusive education. In this chapter, the interplay between historical factors, culture, policy, and economy is examined, alongside the public support for inclusion and the transformation of schools into inclusive settings. Macao can be seen as a bridge between European and Asian cultures, where social and educational changes occur within contested spaces and conflicting interests. The author examines the current education model in Macao in which private non-subsidised and subsidised schools have in place a restrictive acceptance criterion. A glance into the legal framework of inclusive education helps illuminate how the pace and scale of change have been accomplished. The role of government and universities is important—with their training and public awareness strategies of workshops, conferences, training courses, public events, and locally based research and publications. These opportunities provide fertile ground for building a dynamic system of information sharing between teachers, scholars, parents, and community groups to promote the message of inclusion. While the government provides leverage resources for schools to implement inclusive education, there are still some challenges to overcome, and a great many issues remain to be resolved with regard to policy, attitudes towards children with disabilities, and school placement.KeywordsColonial legacyCultureInclusive educationMacao SARSpecial education needsTeachers’ attitudes