Rural Inclusive Education Program for Students with Special Needs in Punjab: Opinions and Concerns of Teachers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21015/vtess.v11i2.1578Abstract
The present study was conducted to identify the views and concerns of regular and special education teachers working in rural inclusive education programs. The multi-stage sampling process was used to select districts, schools, regular and special education teachers. In the first stage, rural inclusive education schools were identified in Punjab; researchers only found the program of Ghazali Education Trust (GET ) in Punjab province which was established in eight districts. Forty regular teachers and six special education teachers were selected from Lahore, Sheikhpura and Faisalabad districts as samples of the study. Likert-type questionnaire for regular teachers and a structured interview schedule for special education teachers were used for the collection of data. It is indicated by the findings of the study that attitudes of special education and even regular teachers regarding the inclusion of disabled children were positive. Still, practical concerns had been expressed by teachers about the application of different inclusive practices and even pointed out a lack of effective training in different areas such as adaptation of evaluation procedures, curricular and instructional adaptations. In instructional procedures, teachers tend to make major and slight changes for the accommodation of disabled children and perform portfolio, written, and oral assessments are performed. Still, the use of rating scales, checklists, and performance-based evaluations is quite rare. General audio-visual aids were being used by most teachers and none of them confirm the use of computers and mobile phones, audio devices and braille books during teaching. Therefore, a number of in-service training workshops and sessions must be planned and arranged by GET to ensure special education and regular teachers’ capacity building. At the same time, resource rooms must be arranged that contain instructional resources, Braille books, wheelchairs and computers etc.
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