Ioi Cung’s Manchu Lessons, 1913–1919 (毓崇的滿文課本，1913–1919)

During the 1950s a group of major companies launched the Industrial Fund for the Advancement of Scientific Education in Schools to build and equip laboratories in independent and direct grant schools. The Industrial Fund remains as one of the most impressive industrial initiatives in school education. It is sometimes criticised for either neglect or parsimony towards girls’ schools. This research note provides a brief account of the initiation and operation of the Industrial Fund. Although the Industrial Fund did provide fewer resources for girls’ schools this outcome stemmed from using the same and not different criteria for boys’ and girls’ schools and reflected the state of schools at the outset of the Industrial Fund.

Special Needs Education has evolved from segregation to main streaming and then to inclusion of students with disabilities. This evolutionary process was fuelled by the social need for equality of humanity. This process has been met with fierce idealogical resistance from certain social quotas. The most radical and dynamic changes in Special Needs Education to date, which have withstood such resistance, are those that relate to inclusive education. In response to changes characterising inclusive education, drastic reforms have been experienced in those countries such as the USA and the United Kingdom. These countries have been used as models for the implementation of genuine inclusion of students with disabilities into ordinary schools. This treatise examines reforms of the ordinary school that would save as necessary conditions for successful inclusive education in developing countries such as Zimbabwe. Such reforms relate to the organization and philosophy of the school, the physical and social environment, resourcing, curriculum and policy change processes. Examples from Zimbabwe are used to guide the discussion and the terms ‘inclusive education’, ‘major reforms’ and ‘mainstream/ordinary school’ are immediately defined in order to operationalize the topic. Some of the main reasons for failure of inclusive education in developing countries such as Zimbabwe have been lack of political will and negative social attitudes towards people with disabilities. In the ultimate analysis, the paper concludes that, for inclusive education to operate or function, there is need for a revolutionary change of attitude toward people with disabilities at political, social and professional levels. This should be punctuated with restructuring of the school infrastructure and mainstream curriculum, mainstreaming of social and educational policies to become disability friendly and improved resourcing. Teachers should be re-capacitated to face the challenges that go with inclusive education and community ownership of inclusive initiatives, guided my national policy and support is proposed.

At present, China has basically formed a special education development pattern with attending classes at ordinary schools and special education classes attached to them as the main part, special education schools as the backbone, and home delivery and distance education as the supplementary part. In 2017, there were 578,800 students with disabilities in the country, of whom 304,300, accounting for 52.6% (The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, Reply to Recommendation No. 1992 of the first session of the 13th national people’s congress. moe.gov.cn. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xxgk/xxgk_jyta/jyta_jiaoshisi/201812/t20181221_364254.html, 2018), were enrolled in ordinary schools and special education classes attached to them. To raise the popularization level of compulsory education for disabled children and adolescents, the “one person, one case” policy will be implemented and education placement well done through special education schools, ordinary schools, special education classes of children’s welfare institutions (including institutions for the rescue and protection of minors), and home delivery. Priority will be given to attending classes at ordinary schools to better arrange disabled children and adolescents of the appropriate age to receive compulsory education as soon as possible. Taking districts and counties as the unit to make overall planning, some ordinary schools will be selected to set up resource classrooms and equipped with teachers specialized in education for the disabled (hereinafter referred to as “resource teachers”) and designated to recruit students with disabilities. Other ordinary schools with more than five disabled students should also gradually establish special education resource classrooms (The Special Education Information of China, The special education promotion plan (phase II), tejiao.net. Retrieved from http://www.tejiao.net/news/zhengce/2018-04-13/8493.html, 2018).

Many indigenous minorities are in the process of revitalising their languages lost through such colonial policies as the use of colonial languages for instruction in schools. In these revitalisation movements, the indigenous language becomes a symbol of group authenticity. The literature suggests that indigenous populations define group authenticity as part of an oppositional identity relative to that of a dominant, or former colonising group and their language. This paper focuses on the case of Fiji, where English is the language of instruction in secondary schools but where the indigenous Fijian language has a strong presence, ironically, due in part to the historical use of the vernacular for academic instruction in mission schools. The paper explores the attitudes of indigenous Fijian secondary school students on English-language usage among peers and suggests that an indigenous group can define group authenticity independently of an oppositional identity.

Hong Kong has adopted a dual-track system of the education for students with special educational needs (SEN). The system provides a diverse school education to cater to the individual needs of students. In principle, students with SEN are encouraged to receive education in ordinary schools as far as possible. Students with severe SEN or multiple disabilities, however, can be referred to special schools for intensive support services upon the recommendation of specialists and with parents’ consent. Before the launch of the pilot scheme of integrated education in 1998, students with SEN were mostly placed in special schools. The change from a mono-track system to a dual-track system caused concerns for teachers in ordinary schools. This is because integrated education is more than placing students with SEN in ordinary classrooms. It involves a total change in the way schools and teachers operate. Teachers require the skills and background knowledge to support a diverse range of students in the classroom through ordinary classroom practices, and the ability to meet the needs of every student as an individual. In Hong Kong, most teachers have particular concerns about the short duration of training in professional development, the difficulties in the design of the curriculum and assessment differentiation under the three-tier support system, the practice of collaboration among different teaching teams, and the change of administrators’ perceptions on the education of students with SEN. The central authority and the school community should work collaboratively to deal with these pressing difficulties.

The paper aimed at studying the challenges as well as the potential benefits associated with using African languages as the main medium of instructions in Namibian schools. Research indicates that there is more to gain in promoting African languages in all aspects of education and governance than the opposite. Countries that place greater emphasis on mother tongue instructions continue to thrive socially and economically. Countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, are some of the Asian countries who were once dominated by Europeans who opted for investing in their languages and are thriving economically. The results of the research indicates that the sole use of English language as the main medium of instruction in schools is the reason for high failure rates in grade 10 and 12 final examinations. Due to lack of enthusiasm from the government regarding the use of indigenous African languages as M.O.I , many teachers and students alike still prefer English to be the main medium of instruction in schools at the expense of their own languages. The government should revise its education policy on language instruction and put more emphasis on the need to robustly use indigenous African languages with English in all schools.

The method of conversation is one of the mediums used by teachers in achieving their teaching objectives. The results of the discussion sessions made by students in the group succeeded in achieving student understanding of the lessons being taught. At the same time, this discussion method can be used for all subjects based on the teacher's creativity. This study will focus on conversation methods in the teaching of Islamic education in low schools. This study aims to identify the concept of the discussion method, how to apply the conversation method in teaching Islamic education in ordinary schools, and review the effectiveness of the conversation method. This study was carried out using a qualitative approach based on library studies and informal interviews with bright teachers of low school Islamic education. Document analysis and independent studies are also used as references. The study results found that this discussion method was suitable for use in teaching Islamic education at the low school level. The teacher's use of correct conversational methods gives the impression of understanding, motivation, and academic improvement in student learning.

Globally, there has been a desire to integrate learners with special educational needs into ordinary schools at all levels. Although some strides have been made to achieve this, much more still awaits to be done (Ainscow, 1995). There are several factors dynamically interacting to constrain the learners with special needs from sustainably participating in education. This study was aimed at investigating Strategies, Resources and teacher attitudes towards implementation of inclusive education in primary schools in Nandi East District. This study was executed in Nandi East District and adopted a descriptive research design. The target population of this study were education officers, head-teachers, teachers and pupils from fifty one (51) primary schools in Nandi East District. Sampling included a combination of purposive for the study area, stratified for schools and simple random sampling for the respondents. This study used questionnaires, interview schedules and observation checklists. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistical techniques. This study found that the strategies used in inclusive education included play method, discussion and demonstration. Most teachers had negative attitudes towards learners with special needs. This study found that there were inadequate facilities for the learners with special needs. This study recommends that teachers should use appropriate teaching and learning methods that are sensitive to the needs of the learners with special needs. Parents and other educational stakeholders should pool resources towards learning process of learners with special needs. The findings of this study will be useful to policy makers, teachers, parents and the Ministry of Education in enhancing implementation of inclusive education in Kenya.

Education is a powerful instrument of social change, and often initiates upward movement in the social structure. In the 1970s, the government launched the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC, 1974). The scheme aimed at providing educational opportunities to learners with disabilities in regular schools, and to facilitate their achievement and retention. A cardinal feature of the scheme was the liaison between regular and special schools to reinforce the integration process. The enrolment ratio per 1000 disabled persons between the ages of 5 to18 years in ordinary schools is higher in the rural areas (475) than it is in the urban areas (444), (National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), 2002). The Office of the Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities (NHRC, 2021) stated that not more than 4% of children with disabilities have access to education. A discussion on what can we do to help these children throws some light on some helpful factors. All students would gain if this led to smaller classes and better instruction. To ensure inclusiveness, all programs - regardless of level of education - must make appropriate teacher preparation, awareness of and attitudes towards disabilities, retention of exceptional children, etc. mandatory. For inclusive education programmes to be successful, the problems discussed need to be addressed. It is only by listening, observation, and clear action to resolve these challenges that we can move forward in truly achieving the inclusion of all learners, particularly those with disabilities.

Part 1: Management and Schools 1. Effective Schools and Pupil Needs Tim Brighouse, Chief Education Officer, Oxfordshire 2. Welfare and Needs in Secondary Schools Neville Jones 3. Whole-school Policies: A Question of Rights? Caroline Roaf, Peers School, Oxford 4. Guidance, Counselling and Special Educational Needs: Management and Curriculum Issues David Galloway, School of Education, Lancaster University Part 2: Integration and Learning 5. Integrating Children with Physical Impairments: The Ormerod Experience Tim Southgate 6. Integrating Pupils with Behavioural Difficulties into Mainstream Schools Jackie Sunderland, Oxford University Department of Educational Studies 7. Integration and Special Educational Needs 14-19 Howard Brayton, Advisor for Special Educational Needs, Oxfordshire Part 3: Learning and the Curriculum 8. The Oxfordshire Skills Programme John Hanson, Senior Advisor for Curriculum Studies, Oxfordshire 9. Open and Interactive Learning: the LAP Programme Patrick Leeson, Advisor for Communication and Language Development, Croydon 10. Teaching Approaches and Student Needs Nigel Collins, General Advisor for 14-18 Education, East Sussex 11. Able Pupils in Oxfordshire Schools Keith Postlethwaite, Reading University, Mike Deans, Advisor for Special Educational Needs, Oxfordshire, and Cliff Denton, Oxford University Department of Educational Studies Part 4: In-service, Microelectronics, the Community 12. In-service Education and Special Needs Frank Hodgson and Alan Trotter, both Leeds Polytechnic 13. Microtechnology and the Assessment of Communication Difficulties Pru Fuller, Director of ACE Centre, Oxford, and Tim Southgate 14. Special Needs: The Community Response Rhys Evans, Groby Community College, Leicester.

It has always been felt by African educationists that the African child’s major learning problem is linguistic. Instruction is given in a language that is not normally used in his immediate environment, a language which neither the learner nor the teacher understands and uses well enough (Obanya, l980, 88). If the African child’s major learning problem is linguistic, then all the attention of African policy-makers and aid to the education sector from donors should be devoted to a strengthening of the African languages as languages of instruction, especially in basic education. My own experience after having taught in Africa for four years and having visited hundreds of classrooms both in east and west Africa is that Obanya is completely right; the African child’s major learning problem is linguistic. Children are being branded as unintelligent when they lack knowledge of the language used in instruction, a language they often hardly hear and seldom use outside of the classroom. The concept “education for all” becomes a completely empty concept if the linguistic environment of the basic learners is not taken into account (Brock-Utne, 2000; Brock-Utne, 2001; Klaus, 2001). Yet there is hardly another socio-cultural topic one can begin discussing with Africans that leads to so heated debates and stirs up so many emotions as that of the language of instruction in African schools. It is difficult to discuss this topic as a strictly educational question phrased for instance as: “Through which medium of instruction would children learn subject matter best?”; “If the aim is to master a ‘world’ language, would it be better to have that language as a language of instruction at the earliest time possible or to develop the vernacular or a commonly spoken national language further first?”; or “What does it mean for the learning potential, the development of self-respect and identity that the language one normally communicates in does not seem to be deemed fit for a language of instruction in school?”

Campus cultural and creative products are not only an important carrier of campus culture and image communication, but also carry out the connotation of campus culture communication with other universities and cities. A small number of well-known colleges and universities can bring their own Intellectual Property (IP) because of their popularity. As for ordinary schools how to enhance the “cultural output” and commercialization by virtue of their own cultural and creative products is an urgent problem. The successful practice of IP commercialization in Forbidden City can provide useful reference. The study innovatively puts forward the idea of “new cultural creation” to empower traditional cultural creation, focusing on the core of cultural and creative IP construction, improving the cycle of cultural creation product chain to stimulate the endogenous power; schools to provide strong basic support; relying on the regional cultural industry to promote the development of cultural creation in colleges and universities is a very good path to choose. choice.

Change Processes and Strategies at the Local Level

Efforts to promote and impose Mandarin Chinese as the language of instruction in ethnic minority schools in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, aimed at further integrating the state and raising regional educational and economic quality, have had mixed success. The 2004 plan to consolidate Han Chinese and minority elementary and middle schools and to make Mandarin the universal language of instruction in those schools is fostering an immersive second-language environment without prior preparation for students, bringing native speakers of Mandarin into unfair competition with non-native speakers. The increased focus on Mandarin has already had grave consequences for ethnic relations, especially in urban Uyghur schools, where the project is focused, while the mandate for change in educational curriculum and methodology has also been poorly planned and remains under-resourced, negatively impacting educational quality. The Chinese government has available to it other language policy solutions that are both more workable and friendlier to minority sensibilities.

The connection between multilingualism and the school curriculum continues to engender debates on language preferences because of the potential to influence the amount of learning among learners. To understand language preferences among multilingual learners and their implications for the selection of the medium of instruction (MoI) in a multilingual country, data were collected through questionnaires and interviews among learners, teachers and head teachers in deep, rural Kenyan primary schools. These schools are located away from urban centres, with little or no basic infrastructure, hence the concept of “deep ruralness”. The participants were purposively sampled from among learners, teachers and head teachers to examine how learners’ affiliations with multilingualism could explain the preferred MoI, and the ways through which schools implement the use of an MoI in the curriculum. The findings show that Kiswahili and English were used as the MoI, even when the curriculum recommended indigenous languages and English. Moreover, learners’ multilingual affiliations and their spontaneous languages were their indigenous languages and Kiswahili. Based on these findings, we claim that the indigenous language, Kiswahili and English should be used as the languages of instruction in Kenyan schools.