INCLUSIVE

EDUCATION

“No Child Should

Left Behind”

Rosalie Catalan
 School is the place that provides a community setting for children and youth by
helping them develop their knowledge, by promoting citizenship and building social
relationships. Hence, when a school is inclusive, communities become inclusive too.
Educating children is a vehicle for social inclusion and change. Currently, there are
many obstacles that face special education although we live in a democratic nation;
many people are unaware that every human being is to be treated equally in an
educational institution. Is society conscious of the fact that students with special needs
are able to be included in regular education classrooms, whether they be mentally or
physically disabled? What actions should people take as legislator, citizen, parent,
teacher or student?

Inclusion is a process of allowing ALL children the opportunity to fully participate

in regular education classroom activities regardless of disability, race, or other
characteristics is often fought in schools. Providing a quality of education for all students
in inclusive settings has been acknowledge as perhaps the most challenging, yet most
important issue in education. But in inclusive school, special education is a service not a
place and a teacher must have special techniques of teaching that can ensure quality
education for all students. In addition, it should manage to meet the individual needs of
each students; it should lead the school to seek ways to educate all children in the
most ordinary ways possible.

The recent drive toward inclusive education is more than just about ‘special
education needs’ it reflects changes in the social and political climate wherein a new
approach characterizes thinking about differences. The aim of inclusive education
should ensure that all students participate in the classrooms with their same-age peers
and develop emotionally, socially, intellectually and physically to their fullest ability. As
well as the teachers, they must also become comfortable with the change and they
must learn early in the preparation to be flexible and creative. Classrooms have
undergone tremendous changes and those changes will continue in the future. To be
effective an inclusive teacher education program must instill in the pre-service teacher
an understanding and appreciation of diversity. It means they must equip with both
general as well as special education techniques through pre-service, and in-service.

The true essence of inclusion is when all children are valued and included in
naturally occurring settings and activities with their neighborhood peers, siblings and
friends.