Inclusive Education

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Recommended: inclusion in public schools

Personally I feel, that before attempting to find out whether our country understands and applies the concept of inclusion to its educational system, it is more adequate to try and understand the meaning of Inclusion, a complex issue which creates continuous debates. In the book Creating Inclusive Classrooms, J. Spencer Salend defines inclusion as :

“[…] a philosophy that brings diverse students, families, educators and community members together to create schools and other social institutions based on acceptance, belonging and community […] (Creating inclusive Classrooms, 2005, p.6)

As a result, inclusive education considers as from a young age, all students as full members of the school community including students with different needs. All learners would have all the opportunities and responsibilities available in schools. As Spencer puts it:

“[…]Inclusion seeks to establish collaborative, supportive, and nurturing communities of learners that are based on giving all learners the services and accommodation they need to succeed, as well as respecting and learning from each other’s individual differences [...]” (Ibid.,)

If we had to take a look at what’s happening in our country, according to the European Agency for development in special needs education, since 1989 the Maltese ,

“[…] Government embarked on an intensive programme for the promotion of inclusive education, with a substantial reduction in the number of pupils with special needs attending special schools and a corresponding increase in the number of pupils attending mainstream schools[…]” (European Agency for development in Special Needs Educations : Development of Inclusion : Malta, Mar 26, 2010)

This fact was proven later on in the document stating ...

... middle of paper ...

...ildren without disability have a right for an opportunity to be educated with children with disabilities. (Special Education in Malta:National Policy, 1993, para 2)

Inclusive education is therefore not only beneficial to children with different needs but to everyone in the community, and this is why it deserves importance not only in our educational system but also in life itself.

Works Cited

Azzopardi, A. (2008). Career Guidance for persons with disability.

Valletta: Euroguidance Malta.

Azzopardi, A. (2009). Reading stories of inclusion: Engaging with different

perspectives towards an agenda for inclusion. Germany: VDM Verlag.

Azzopardi, A. (2009). Understanding the disability politics in Malta: New directions explored. Germany: VDM Verlag.

http://www.european-agency.org/country-information/malta/national-overview/development-of-inclusion

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