Teaching Competence of Teachers in Inclusive Education Programs in Secondary Schools

Abstract

Special Education is a branch of education services provided for Students with Special Education Needs (SSEN). The Education Act 1996 allows SSEN to attend the same classes in government schools or government aided schools. In line with that, the Inclusive Education Program (IEP) has been implemented in certain schools across the country to meet the needs of students and parents' requests. The existing policy that has been adopted for a long time gives the right to formal education for SSEN and it is strengthened by two other policies, namely 'Compulsory Education' and 'Education for All' which is now the basis of planning for the implementation of special education in Malaysia. This concept paper aims to identify the teaching competence of mainstream teachers in the implementation of IEP. The results of this study found that teaching competence, which is measured by the knowledge and skills of mainstream teachers, is very important in the implementation of IEP. The success of IEP depends on the teaching competence of mainstream teachers and will be achieved if systematically planned by the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MMoE) and implemented with the support and collaboration of all parties. It is recommended that a follow-up study be conducted to examine aspects of SSEN in IEP because many previous studies focus on the teacher aspect only.