Inclusive Education

Though I largely love comedies and motivational films, the only tear-jerker movie I am willing to watch again and again is " Tare Zameen Par".

The story of how a young boy Ishaan is sent away from home to a boarding school, because he is considered dumb at studies and a naughty kid who does not put his mind to studies and faces ridicule from classmates and teachers alike, only to be helped by the new teacher Nikumbh Sir (Amir Khan) touches my heart. The teacher goes an extra mile to help the child learn and get him included with the class.

The cause which Amir Khan represented in the movie is "Inclusive Education"

Before understanding what is Inclusive education, we must understand what is Inclusion.

 Inclusion can be defined as  increasing the participation of all children and adults while removing exclusion, discrimination and barriers to  learning and participation.  It believes that all are entitled to free and meaningful participation in, contribution to and enjoyment of civil, economic, social, cultural and political development through which human rights and fundamental freedoms are enjoyed irrespective of disabilities, caste, creed, color or any other differences.

Inclusive Education is the process of increasing the participation of all students, including those with disabilities.

It is about restructuring the cultures, policies and practices in schools so that they respond to the diversity of their students in their locality.

However, inclusive education as a policy does not concentrate on children with disabilities alone, it aims at creating a system of learning and education which responds to the individual needs of each child.  

Inclusive  education functions on the premise that children with disabilities are as competent as their  privileged peers. Thus all students can be equal participants in their classroom and local school community.

The driving principle is to make all students feel welcomed, appropriately challenged and a part of their surroundings.

Following are the characteristics of Inclusive education:-

1. Valuing each child:- Each child is made to feel loved, valued, capable and a part of his surroundings. The curriculum is customized to the needs of the child and it is taken care that no child is left behind in the teaching-learning process and nor feels allienated from his peers and classroom activities.

2. Participation of Students:-  Inclusive education aims to ensure free and equal participation of all students in all the school activities. It sees to it that students with and without disabilities participate freely and together.

3. Least Restrictive Environment:- Inclusive education is based on the primary principle that differently abled students can learn with their privileged peers in the same classroom and should not be discriminated on the basis of their disability. The classroom environment and school surroundings are made conducive to their needs. This does not mean that they do not spend time out of class, they do need certain therapies and sometimes even medication to help them cope but are considered a part of the same classroom and an essential part of the teaching-learning process.

4. Right to education:- Inclusive education believes that education is the right of each and every child and no child should be kept away from school and classroom learning on the basis of any discrimination such as caste, creed, disabilities, gender, etc.

5. Removes Barriers:- Inclusive education aims at removing barriers not only in education but also create a barrier- free society. It aims at imparting education to all children without any discrimination on the basis of race, caste, creed, gender, illnesses or disabilities, socio-economic status, etc. Also it aims at enabling all students to participate freely and completely in the teaching-learning process and make them fully- functioning individuals of the society. 

Importance of Inclusive Education

1. Benefits students with and without disabilities equally:-  An inclusive class environment benefits students without disabilities as much as students with them. While differently-abled students gain in-terms of academic literacy, smooth teaching-learning process, better scores in exams and all-round personality developments.

It is seen that inclusive education makes the above same goals more easily attainable even for their more privileged peers. Also it makes education more value-based as children become more empathetic and humane. Students also develop positive attitude towards differently-abled people.

2.Universalization Of Education:- Inclusive education makes quality education accessible to all children. Lately the scope and philosophy of inclusive education has widened and it takes into consideration marginalized children without disabilities as well. This includes transgender children, children belonging to various marginalized groups and even gifted children.

3. Quality Education:-  Inclusive education makes sure that children are given quality education. It aims to address many limitations of our education system such as rote-learning, over-dependence on standardized tests, overly teacher-centric classroom and bring in skill-based approach with better teacher-student bonding, student-centric and experiential  learning in the classroom.

4.Reducing student anxiety:- Inclusive education system creates a happier learning environment and reduces student-anxiety towards studies and exams. It also addresses issues such as rote-learning, pressure for marks and unhealthy cut-throat competition and even may help reduce peer-pressure as it encourages  acceptance and celebrates individual differences.

5. Social Harmony:-  Inclusive Education focuses on bringing change for the betterment of the society and helps in establishing social harmony. Inclusive education aims at creating people who accept and celebrate individual differences. Not different but diverse, not disabled but differently abled is it's motto. It also helps establish the values of liberty and equality in the surrounding.

Thus Inclusive Education plays a pivotal role in creating a humane and fully-functioning society. It helps in creating an empathetic  and community based approach not only for education but towards life and living.