Challenges facing the implementation of inclusive primary education: A case study of turkana West district, Kenya
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Date
2013-02-21
Authors
Juma, Hellen Juma
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Abstract
The tenet of the study was that despite the efforts made by government and other
education practitioners to provide education for all, there are challenges facing the
implementation of inclusive primary education in most public primary schools.
The government has invested substantial amounts and human resources directed
towards compulsory free primary education in an effort to promote pupils'
performance, gender equality and provision of equal opportunities to all Kenyan
children despite regional disparity in the face of the social, technological and
curriculum innovation. "Education has a purpose. That purpose is to translate
from one generation to the next, the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of
society and prepare the young people for their future mainstreaming or
development. This is true of all societies. The capitalist society of the east and
African societies too" Eshiwani (1993 :24). Education therefore, has not achieved
its goals of ep.?bling one to acquire what he/she longs for. Learners with special
needs are mostly affected since they are seen to have no place in the immediate
schools. Many parents and even caretakers ignore them and strive to educate
those without disabilities (the so - called normal). The disabled children are seen
to be uncompetitive in strolling for occupation and other jobs in life. Since
education is a vital factor, it brings about total change in a persons' life to meet
global challenges and proper interventions with the wide diverse communities of
the world. The objectives are; to determine the challenges facing the
implementation- of inclusive primary education, to analyze the cause of the
challenges facing the implementation of inclusive primary education, to determine
the strategies for overcoming the challenges facing the implementation of
inclusive primary education and to find out the extent to which curriculum
adversely affects implementation of inclusive primary education. The researcher
investigated the barriers or challenges to all learners irrespective of the special
needs which are within and outside the school. The researcher further identified
children with unique needs and recommended intervention strategies which would
enhance the implementation of inclusion in schools of Turkana West District. She
also investigated and placed the attitude of gathering the requirement of inclusion
in Turkana West District. Hex intentions were to sensitize and create awareness to
the public to enhance the arresting of the situation at hand to foster the
implementation of the system, within the existing schools in the district. One
EARC officer, 400 teachers and 3 were divisional inspectors formed the study
population, stratified random sampling was used to select 50 schools from which
26 teachers were involved in the study. Also included, were three divisional
inspectors representing the three educational divisions in the district. Interview
schedules and questionnaires were used to collect data. The collected data were
analyzed and presented using descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages
while the findings were reported in summary form using tables, figures and
graphs. The study established that there are barriers to the implementation of
inclusive primary education in the world, Africa, Kenya and more so to schools of
Turkana West. The researcher however recommends that the government should
provide adequate centres offering inclusive education, train and deploy enough
personnel (teachers), provide enough teaching/learning materials, discourage
cultural beliefs and practices which affect implementation negatively, create
consistent management of schools, unrestrictive environment and formulation of
flexible curriculum to accommodate the needs of these learners.
Description
Department of Educational Management Policy & Curriculum Studies, 90p. LC 1203 .K4J8 2012
Keywords
Inclusive education --Kenya --Turkana West District, Special education --Kenya --Turkana West District