Abstract
This chapter shares the journey of a developing island nation in their effort to implement a nation-wide inclusive education system. The chapter intends to bring to forefront key milestones, challenges faced, and the way forward in the expedition towards realizing full inclusion in schools. Towards this end, the authors engaged multiple sources of data including (i) legal, policy and other relevant documents from the local context, (ii) focus group discussions with experts, and (iii) interviews with practitioners. Insights from these multi-source explorations are triangulated and discussed in the light of local and international literature. Recommendations for moving towards enhancing and expanding inclusion in the education system are offered with specific focus on policy and practice, which can benefit the education system not only at the local level but also at the global level.
TopBackground
Inclusive Education: A Contextual Definition
Inclusive education is generally considered as a multi-dimensional concept that celebrates and values individual differences and diversity (Hornby, 2015). The term ‘inclusion’ is defined as ensuring all people have the opportunities and the assistance necessary to fully participate in their community, their education, and their workplace (UNESCO, 2004, 2005, 2020a). This notion is well regarded across the globe as it promotes access to the general educational curriculum and opportunities for friendship and social connections (Miyauchi, 2020). In fact, many countries have developed policies for including students with complex learning profiles (SCLP) in mainstream classes (Leung & Mak, 2010; Mangope & Mukhopadhyay, 2015).
In the context of Maldives, the term ‘inclusive education’ is defined as providing education to students of all categories who require special assistance in education in the mainstream setting, as far as possible, or by means of alternative educational pathways (Ministry of Education - MoE, 2021). The categories of students recognized in the inclusive education policy are (i) students with disabilities, (ii) students who require special learning assistance including those with learning disabilities and the gifted, and (iii) students under special circumstances such as those who have experienced tragedies, trauma, disasters, etc.
The Country Context
The Republic of Maldives is an archipelago comprising 1192 small coral islands of which 187 are inhabited. These islands are scattered across 26 natural atolls which are grouped into 20 clusters (atolls) for administrative purposes. The population of the country as of 2019 is 372,739 (Maldives Bureau of Statistics - MBS, 2020) while about a quarter of which are students (MoE, 2019).
Until 2014, the Maldives followed a 5-2-3-2 education system reflecting the primary, middle school, lower secondary, and higher secondary levels of schooling. This has changed since the transition to the new national curriculum framework (NCF) in 2015 whereby (i) the kindergarten is recognized as part of formal schooling, (ii) key stages are introduced to refer to more precise levels of education within the prevailing level of pre, primary, and secondary level.
The Maldives has made impressive achievements on access to K-12 public free education. The country has achieved significant milestones in terms of providing universal primary education for all way back in 2002 (UNDP, 2014). Additionally, the net enrolment rate (NER) of early childhood education has made remarkable progress from 51.2% in 2001 to 99.6% in 2017 (MoE, 2016). Furthermore, while the NER of primary and lower secondary are 95.9% and 90.5% respectively in 2018, the NER reached 100% for both the levels in 2019 (MoE, 2019).
Inclusive education has become a topic of utmost attention in the Maldives. Since the first inclusive education policy in 2013, a number of revisions have been brought to the policy - the most recent revision was made in 2021. The inclusive education policy is the key document which lays out the specifics and the key responsibilities of the implementing agencies towards realizing full inclusion in education. These standards range from making policies and guidelines to provision of resources and trained staff (MoE, 2021).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Key Milestones: It refers to a significant event or development that marks a major step forward in the progress of implementing inclusive education.
Teacher Development: It refers to the process of preparing and supporting teachers to work effectively with students of diverse needs and abilities, in order to promote inclusive education.
Inclusive Education: Inclusive education is an approach to education that aims to ensure that all students, regardless of their individual needs and characteristics, have equal access to high-quality education, and are able to participate fully in the learning process.
Challenges: Difficulties and obstacles that can arise in the process of providing equal educational opportunities for all students, regardless of their individual characteristics and needs.
Implementation: It refers to the process of putting into practice the principles and policies of inclusive education in schools and other educational settings.
Evolution: It refers to the process of how inclusive education has changed and developed over time.
Way Forward: It refers to the path or strategy that can be taken to further advance and implement the principles and practices of inclusive education.