Inclusive Education: Are We There? Some Global Challenges, Contradictions and Anomalies

Abstract

Since the signing of the Salamanca statement in 1994, various countries have vowed to implement inclusive education. Different version of inclusion have been adopted worldwide but critics are beginning to suspect that, while inclusion sounds good in theory, it has not yet translated into implementable and realisable ideals. The study on which this analytical paper is based therefore explored challenges, contradictions and anomalies in the implementation of inclusive education globally. Various articles by leading scholars in the field of inclusive education were reviewed. The findings indicate, inter alia, that inclusive education has not yet come into its own right due to the varied contexts, conceptualisations and interpretations of the notion. It follows that leading scholars and practitioners in the field of inclusion should review the status quo, as well as reconceptualise and redesign the strategies to enhance its pedagogical implementation.

Instructional Leadership in Inclusive Secondary Schools of Zimbabwe: Balancing Multiple and Competing Expectations

“…This call coincided with results-oriented accountability systems that have also been widely accepted by most countries globally [2]. Although there are variations in the way inclusive education is understood within and across nations [3], its common ideal elements, as also embraced in the present study, involve the right to education for all, giving prominence to the notion of equality, and a curriculum that is responsive to the needs of all learners [4].…”