Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs - How Inclusive is it?
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“Inclusive education: the way of the future” was the theme of discussion at the 48th Session of the International Conference on Education in Geneva, Switzerland in 2008. This was in recognition of the importance of education, to empower and equip all with skills and knowledge. Many countries have realized that the future of every nation depends on the quality and effectiveness of its education. An uneducated portion of the population is a liability to the nation as it is dependent, and offers little contribution to national development. It is therefore imperative that every nation, invests in educating all its citizens to enable them contribute towards its progress. The inclusive education paradigm is based on the human rights concept that removes inequality and barriers while eliminating historical circumstances of educational marginalization and exclusion. It is a process whereby the capacity of an education system is strengthened to reach all learners irrespective of their cultural, social, learning background or ability. It endeavours to educate all children to the maximum extent appropriate to them and to their ability. It is a consequence of several international declarations and efforts geared towards achieving Education For All (EFA) such as the 1989 United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the 1990 Jomtien World Declaration on EFA, the Salamanca World Conference on Inclusive Education of 1994 and the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action. However, despite being the desired practice in education, it may not always be achievable due to issues in teacher orientation, training, national education systems, resource availability, financial, social, and other barriers, which render this practice expensive and difficult to attain. In the midst of all the adversity, it is nonetheless the duty of the teacher to implement this policy. Every teacher has a moral and ethical obligation to ensure that they meet every learner at their point of need and develop them to their full potential. This paper discusses the teacher’s ethical role in educating children with disabilities amidst all these barriers. It brings out the ethical dilemma faced by teachers in providing an inclusive education and utilizes qualitative methods of study such as content analysis. It is a library research analyzing related studies in this field, to document and recommend ways of improving education to make it more inclusive and meaningful to all children.
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