Nidhi Singal

The Education for All and inclusive education debate: conflict, contradiction or opportunity?

This paper begins with an exploration of the history of the international Education for All (EFA) programme and its tendency to overlook some marginalised groups of children, in particular those seen as having ‘special educational needs’ or impairments and disabilities. The exclusion from ‘mainstream’ education programmes of the estimated, though unreliable, figures of 90 or 98% of children in Southern countries has, until relatively recently, been largely unchallenged. The explanation lies in the still prevalent view that some children are ‘ineducable’ and that overcrowded and under‐resourced schools would not be able to cope. Consequently, a largely parallel, international debate has developed about ‘inclusive education’, within which many conflicting positions exist. We suggest that there is an unhelpful and wasteful polarisation between EFA and inclusive education. Although inclusive education is defined by some writers in terms of overcoming barriers to learning and development for all children, in the context of Southern countries it tends to fill the gap left by EFA and so focuses almost exclusively on disabled children. This paper challenges some of the rhetoric, but also highlights the opportunities created by the current international interest in, and apparent commitment to, delivering quality education for all children. The paper concludes by offering a re‐conceptualisation of the relationship between EFA and inclusive education, argues for greater collaboration and synergy between these currently parallel initiatives, and suggests ways in which practitioners and policy makers can develop more sustainable, and context‐appropriate, policies and practices.

Inclusive Education in India: International concept, national interpretation

This article examines education of children belonging to marginalised groups, with particular reference to children with disabilities, within the Indian context. Based on an analysis of post‐independence Government documents, various educational provisions made available for children with disabilities are discussed. It explores the Indian Government’s focus on the development of special schools, its efforts towards integration, and the more recent emphasis on inclusive education. Furthermore, it attempts to elucidate “inclusive education” as understood in various official documents. The article concludes by arguing for a need to develop a contextual understanding of inclusive education that is reflective of current educational concerns in India.

An ecosystemic approach for understanding inclusive education: An Indian case study

India is currently faced with the formidable task of fulfilling its commitment towards Education for All. This paper presents findings of a multi-level study, which explored the various meanings, and efforts towards inclusive education in an Indian context. Using an ecosystemic framework, it discusses the many complex ways in which efforts have been influenced by international developments and socio-cultural factors within the national context. This paper discusses the emergence of inclusive education, as being about the education of children with disabilities. It places specific focus on exploring the impact that narrowly constructed notions of “ability” and “disability” have on efforts undertaken at the government and school level. The paper concludes by arguing for a need to understand inclusive education, not only in terms of new terminology, policies and legislations, but also by critically examining the beliefs and values that underpin its developments.RésuméL’Inde est aujourd’hui confrontée au formidable défi de tenir son engagement envers l’Education pour tous. Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude à multiples niveaux, qui explore les diverses définitions et initiatives à propos de l’éducation intégratrice dans lé contexte indien. Utilisant un modèle écosystémique, il traite des nombreuses et complexes façons dont les efforts ont été influencés par des développements internationaux et des facteurs socioculturels à l’intérieur du contexte national. Cet article aborde l’émergence de l’éducation intégratrice comme étant une éducation pour enfants ayant des besoins spéciaux. Il se focalise sur la façon dont les initiatives entreprises par le gouvernement et les écoles ont été affectées par les restrictions intrinsèques aux notions de “capacités” et “incapacités”. Cet article conclut en défendant la nécessité de comprendre l’éducation intégratrice, non seulement en termes de nouvelles terminologies, règlements et législations, mais aussi en examinant de faćcon critique les croyances et valeurs sur lesquelles sont fondées ses développements.

Mapping the field of inclusive education: a review of the Indian literature

Inclusive education over the last decade has become a frequently used concept in the international literature and has been accorded legitimacy through various international declarations. In India, it has gained currency with its usage in government documents, in schools and in the popular media. This paper reviews the literature in the field of inclusive education in the Indian context with an aim to elucidate the different perspectives in its understandings and various conflicts in its conceptualization, while identifying significant gaps. The paper begins by adopting a chronological approach, tracing the development of this concept. Further engagement with the literature attempts to seek answers to questions such as who is included, into what they are included and why they are included. Based on reflections gathered from the literature, it is noted that the field of inclusive education is driven by a rather narrow and limiting perspective. It is therefore argued that inclusive education must be regarded as an approach encompassing the broader education system. Only when understood as such, can we fulfil our goal of education for all.

Doing Disability Research in a Southern Context: Challenges and Possibilities.

Research on disability issues in countries of the South is primarily dominated by a focus on generating large scale quantitative data sets. This paper discusses the many challenges, opportunities and dilemmas faced in designing and undertaking a qualitative research study in one district in India. The Disability, Education and Poverty Project (DEPP) aims at exploring the role of education in the lives of young people with disabilities living in poverty. A central focus of the research is to engage with the young people with disabilities themselves and to understand how they construed their lives and experiences. This paper discusses three issues which are of central concern to the project: identification of the sample group, appropriateness of the research methods and, finally, an examination of the assumptions underpinning the research process.

Education, childhood and disability in countries of the South – Re-positioning the debates:

We embarked on the ambitious project of a Special Issue on ‘Education, Childhood and Disability in Countries of the South: Re-positioning the Debates’ with the intention of challenging dominant paradigms and making a contribution to educational discourse, childhood studies and disability studies informed by research and scholarly debates in countries of the South. We saw the need to present emerging research agendas, paradigms, methodologies and theories that illuminate the complex social, political and structural influences that shape the childhood of children with disabilities and their access to education and care. We want the collection of articles in this issue to engage scholars and researchers in reflexive critique of North/South dynamics that influence the construction and understanding of disabled children’s childhood and education in the global South. In this introduction, we highlight some key issues that in our opinion necessitate a focus on the South, issues which are different from the North, but issues which also require one to consider ways in which the North and South do connect. We begin with a small note on the use of terminology in the Special Issue, specifically in relation to North and South. North/South terminology came to the fore in the 1960s and was popularised in the Brant Commission’s Report, ‘North-South: A programme for survival’ (1980), which highlighted the stark inequalities between the two blocks and proposed ways of redressing these. Over the years ‘North/South’ has become shorthand for highlighting the complex set of inequalities and dependencies between countries divided not by geographical boundaries, but by fundamental economic inequality. Significantly, most countries of the South also share the legacy of having been conquered

The enabling role of education in the lives of young people with disabilities in India: achieved and desired outcomes

In India, the last few years have seen an increase in the school enrolment rates of children with disabilities; however, there are continuing concerns about the outcomes of these efforts, especially in terms of employment. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative enquiry into how young people (aged 15–30 years) with various impairments (namely, hearing, seeing and mobility) understand the role played by education in their lives. The research, carried out in urban and rural Madhya Pradesh, India, contrasts the poor outcomes for these young people in terms of employment with young people’s own sense of the value of schooling in enhancing their social skills and opportunities, and their cultural capital, particularly in terms of how they are able to confront stigmatising attitudes. Whereas the ‘significant others’ (primarily, parents) regard schooling as a failure if it does not lead to jobs, the young people themselves focus on education’s enabling roles. The paper concludes with policy proposals with respect to the nature and content of schooling and improvements in how government benefits are accessed by these young people.

Researching ethically across cultures:Issues of knowledge, power and voice

Background to this special issue In recent years, a greater focus on cross-cultural research and on research undertaken by multidisciplinary national teams has raised significant challenges with regard to how educational research is conceptualised, conducted and disseminated in an ethical manner. Increasingly, in international and comparative educational research, it is being recognised that existing ethical codes and paradigms either do not sufficiently address such issues or tend to be rather restrictive and insensitive to multiple and complex cultural and contextual differences. For international students in UK higher educational institutions, these contrasting assumptions about values and practices within research can be even more evident, as they are often obliged to conform to the requirements of their UK university research ethics committee when conducting fieldwork in their home countries. This special issue sets out to explore ethical issues and dilemmas encountered by educational researchers working across cultures – sharing insights with each other into the differing values and assumptions that shape research and writing practices. The aim is to develop a deeper understanding of: the relationship between researcher and the ‘researched’; issues of particular concern during field research, such as negotiating access and giving back; and the construction and ownership of knowledge. The contributions in this special issue move beyond instrumental discussions of research governance and further broaden the scope from an emphasis on ‘access’ (for instance, whether or how research participants will give informed consent) to a deeper consideration of the ethical implications of constructing and negotiating research and policy texts across cultures. The themes emerged partly from a symposium, in July 2011, organised by the Centre for Applied Research in Education (CARE) at the University of East Anglia on ‘Internationalising Research Ethics’. This event brought together researchers to deliberate on the following questions:

The Impact of Education in Shaping Lives: Reflections of Young People with Disabilities in Ghana.

There is increasing recognition of the importance of focusing on people with disabilities (PWDs) in international efforts aimed at poverty alleviation. While universal education has been central to these efforts, the specific and additional needs of children with disabilities are often overlooked in policies and programmes. In order to gain a nuanced appreciation of the lives of young PWDs in a Ghanaian context, this paper draws on research conducted with young PWDs and their significant others in order to understand their educational journeys, employment prospects and perceptions towards disability of those around them. In addition to collecting primary data, the latest policy documents related to disability, education and employment are reviewed and statistical analysis is undertaken based on the Housing and Population Census 2010. Our research highlights the barriers facing those with disability in accessing quality education. While education was recognised as paramount to leading a better life and participants noted benefits beyond employment such as gaining self-sufficiency and social benefits, unequal educational opportunities underpin some of the reasons for the widening of gaps between those with disabilities and their non-disabled counterparts. Furthermore, while education was perceived as important for gaining employment, this was not the case in reality, as young people faced difficulties due to both physical and attitudinal barriers limiting their opportunities for economic and social participation. The paper concludes by noting that systematic changes in the policy arena are needed to enable youth with disabilities to take their rightful place in mainstream society.

Children’s perceptions of themselves as learner inside and outside school

This exploratory study set out to investigate how a group of children, who were identified as underachieving in school, constructed understandings of themselves as learners inside and outside school. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and image-based methods with the children. Interviews were also conducted with their parents and teachers. Findings of this study highlight the centrality of the children’s relational world and the richness of their learning experiences and capacity for learning outside school. Significant differences were evident in their descriptions of learning processes inside the classroom and outside the formal school setting. Outside school learning experiences, both structured and less formalised were perceived by the children as being more active, collaborative and challenging. Knowledge and understanding in these contexts seemed to be located within the children. In contrast, learning inside school was characterised by dependence on the teacher. Knowledge and understanding in this context appeared to be located within the teacher.