Inclusive Education: A Conceptual Analysis

"Inclusive, good quality education is the basis for dynamic and equitable societies" (Tutu, n.d). The term inclusion became popular in the early nineteen hundreds when, the UNESCO’s Salamanca Conference in 1994 was held, which could be referred to as a defining point for inclusive education (Forlin & Chambers, 2011). At this conference, a number of countries, as well as Jamaica, agreed to the statement that supported education of a diverse student population where all are included in the regular classroom to the greatest extent possible (UNESCO, 1994). Inclusive education was referred to in the statement as education that meets the needs of all children, particularly those with special needs (UNESCO, 1994). The conference aimed at recommitment

Following this conference, Jamaica instituted a five year development plan to improve the quality of and access to education for all children up to grade nine, while at the same time upgrading the access to special education at both the primary and secondary education levels (Bergsma, 2000). Bergsma (2000), also posited that approximately 31,982 primary school children nationwide were believed to have special needs. These children exhibit difficulties such as hearing, visual, and physical impairments as well as intellectual and learning disabilities and giftedness (Ministry of Education, 2015). Notably, only about ten percent of these children are enrolled in a special program that receives governmental funding (UNICEF Jamaica, 2006). Therefore, some children with mild to moderate disabilities were educated in the mainstream primary schools, while those children with profound disabilities were usually educated exclusively. Additionally, many children with special needs were not served due to long waiting lists and issues with access (Bergsma, 2000). Hence, the need for inclusive education for the vast majority of children within a mainstream system, where all children, including those with disabilities or special needs would be given the opportunity and support to learn together in

For example, it looks specifically at the different criteria for implementation of inclusive education (Jamaica Ministry of Education, 1999). Some of these programmes and strategies include; “Each child can learn and every child must” (p. 7), “The school will plan its entire programme to meet the needs of students, and should not exclude challenging students as solution to educational problems” (pp. 6-7). Therefore a definite trend toward inclusive practice and increase in inclusive education programming is