Reviewing Teachers' Preparedness to Adopt and Implement the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy 2018 in Lesotho Schools

Abstract

The launch of the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy (LIEP) in 2018 by the Ministry of Education and Training assured the participation of learners with special educational needs (LSEN) in the education system. The policy requires teachers to be the drivers of educational initiatives within the school setting to execute the implementation of the policy and assumes that teachers' use of constructivism-based practices would influence them to implement inclusive education. Informed by a critical paradigm and situated within qualitative research, this paper sought to assess teachers’ preparedness to adopt and implement the LIEP and how they have revised their practices to align with the policy aspirations. Data were generated through individual, semi-structured interviews with a purposively selected group of eight primary school teachers. The data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings reveal that teachers are unaware of the LIEP; they have not been sensitised about or trained on how the policy affects their educational practices. Additionally, teaching and learning resources to support diverse learners remain an obstacle to the full implementation of the policy. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education and Training facilitate teacher training and improve the infrastructure of schools to make them physically accessible. It is also recommended that a national study on reviewing teachers' preparedness to adopt and implement the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy 2018 in Lesotho Schools is required to inform implementation of the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy (LIEP) 2018 in mainstream schools.