Importance of Inclusion in Schools
According to the ‘2019: State of the Education Report for
India: Children with Disabilities’, released by UNESCO, there are 78,64,636
children with disability in India, of whom only a small fraction has access to
quality education in India. There are successive dropouts of children with
special needs at each education level. And when the qualitative factors are
allowed for, the deep darkness of the well is visible.
INTRODUCTION
Inclusion is an idea which advocates that
quality access of education and extra-academic forums in schools to be provided
to all students, including those who have been traditionally excluded from such
necessities, like the specially-abled, or linguistic, religious, cultural
minorities. It is absolutely essential for schools in India and the world to
establish inclusive education, where a significant population of children,
eligible for opportunities, are granted their basic rights, which they were
denied earlier.
Students suffering
from physical disabilities, mental retardation, and other illnesses are more
likely to be denied just treatment, and become a target spot for social prejudices.
Most of these retardations are genetic and congenial, where the victim is not
guilty at all. The social discrimination and stereotypes that they thus face
are indirectly based on birth. Isn’t this social stigma any better than the
four Varna system in ancient times?
MULTI-FACETED
IMPORTANCE
“Inclusion is not
about tolerance… It is about acceptance…”
Inclusive
education, just a step towards equality, can give hundreds of faces in a
community a smile. It is not only a Zion for the specially-abled people, but it
also serves for the betterment of those interacting with them. As a niche for
them, inclusion in schools has had been an accelerating force for children with
special needs in order to be seen as counterparts. It does not require
awareness that come from “life skills lessons” to integrate them into the
social community. No one likes special, superficial care being given to them
just because the others are taught to do so, in the name of empathy. Inclusion,
itself, is enough for this job.
As a student of
Vasant Valley School, where inclusive education has been the trend, I am sort
of a beneficiary to the idea. With past experience of interactions with specially-abled
students, one of the myriads of piles of knowledge that I have gathered from
them, is that such students are more deeply affected by emotions and
friendships. The pillars of friendship made with them are crafted of iron. And
this observation is most clearly delineated during the closure of schools.
While I often communicated with my classmates, one of my friends, who is also
specially-abled, still continues to talk to me in every 3-4 days. He starts a
Whatsapp video call, and invites some 3-4 of us, and then we talk of tremendous
range of subjects, starting from a vacation to ending at even jokes from ‘The
Kapil Sharma Show’.
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
The ‘mainstream’ students
also benefit from the inclusion of marginalised sectors. It aids them in their
intellectual capabilities, future profession, surroundings, morals and ethics.
As a direct result
of personal interactions, these students develop greater sensitivity towards the
other person’s needs. While some empathise with the other children, those who
do not treat and see every other person as equal, tend to face a big
disadvantage throughout their lives. Necessary qualities of empathy,
sensitivity, patience, and adaptation must be sent into the fertile brain in
school life. Students who are ambitious to enter marketing, entrepreneurship,
medicine, sales, or other careers that mandate the skills of teamwork, should
consider inclusion as it is also a training for the mind to adapt to different
environments. It is always said that the difference between a boss and a leader
lies in the aforementioned virtues that help tackle the communalism and
differentiation arising from diversity.
Apart from
virtues, the beneficiaries of inclusion have themselves realised that in an
inclusive environment, their friendships grow stronger and deeper. Where
earlier they were built merely on superficial appearances or other motivating
factors, now they are derived from the soul itself.
“Souls recognise
each other by vibes, and not appearances.”
Moreover, these
beneficiaries also realise that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. This
leads its way to introspection of weaknesses in themselves, and helps them to
tackle them efficiently.
Thus, inclusion
leads to the formation of virtuous cosmopolitans, who, in different countries
reside, jobs practise, people they meet, environment they work in, always treat
others with warm harmony and not bitter ignorance.
A multi-faceted
range of benefits following inclusion lies in front of us. The only step left
is execution of such ideals. The ambitions and desires of the children with
special needs must not go unnoticed. What is often forgotten is that every
child needs schooling for success. Introduction of specially-abled students to
the school facilities that all other students have helps them to realise their
own potential, determine their interests, and reach heights.
THE THREAD
Inclusion is like a string that represents equality.
Attached to it are people from various backgrounds, cultures, religions,
environments, class and so on. Each person represents a bead, and each
different background resembles a colour. The more the colours, the better the
string looks. Each colour compliments the others in its own way. And surely, it
would look depressing and dull if we remove all the colours and put just beads
of a single colour. Same is with the society. The more different we are, the
more enriched the society becomes.
APPROPIATE
MEASURES
Schools pan India
must employ sensitised teaching staff and some special teachers to impart
education to children with mental, physical, or emotional disorders. They must
be professional in having enough empathy and patience, for such a person’s bond
with his/her mentor is supreme. And except this, the only input left comes from
us as individuals. Before the society starts inclusion, it is ‘we’ who must
accept this and not further discriminate the differently-abled pupils. The
ideals of fraternity and equality must not be just legal terminologies for us.
Employing them in our daily life can only transform our environment. And who
knows that just by adding a ramp besides the staircase in our schools is a
significant measure towards inclusion?
FUTURE
If all of us
practice inclusion in our everyday lives, and gain all the virtues, then will
international disputes, disharmonies, and wars stop? No, they will not.
Inclusion does not change the human attitude. It just adds some virtues to it,
like spices and condiments on food items. Inclusion cannot stop countries from
waging wars against each other, but it can surely decrease the number of wars,
withdraw participation from masses, and curtail them.
Conflicts in
Israel, Syria; tensions in India, China; protests against unjust rule in
nations – all these have become integral issues of our times. Whether good or
bad, these issues do matter a lot for the global world, and we are on lookout
for remedies. There will be no exact and direct solution, but a series of initiatives
like inclusion will eventually triumph in the race of arms.
BROADENING THE
VIEW
Inclusion must be
looked above the point where equality is ensured till the boundaries of school.
It is a practice that must be followed everywhere, and at every point of time.
It does not merely mean inclusive education, rather, that is just an aspect of
it. The broad concept must be applied in outside the school premises too, for
the virtues to be learnt and the emotions to be felt do not vanish after
exiting the school gate.
CONCLUSION
In a nutshell,
inclusive education is a concept where the specially-abled children are
included in the classroom activities and other opportunities available in the
school, thus benefitting not only the differently-abled children, but also
enriching the others with high morals and virtues.
An apt poem on
inclusion, “Afford Others the Rights You Want” by an anonymous author, is as
follows
Broadening frown, it's time to look down
on multicultural, religious, students,
perspectives, appreciation, even poetry?
We can't be influenced by closed eye,
heart, mind, it's time to embrace a shining,
shielding, rainbow, of all hues, from one,
never undone, by diversity, inclusion.
References:
I.
2019 "State
of the Education Report for India: Children with Disabilities" -
INSIGHTSIAS (insightsonindia.com)
II.
The Importance And
Definition Of Inclusion Education Essay (ukessays.com)
III.
The Importance of
Inclusive Education for Kids | The Swaddle
IV.
Inclusive
education | UNICEF
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