Inclusive Education

As to
United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, Article 24

1. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education. With a view to realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and life long learning directed to:

       (a) The full development of human potential and sense of dignity and self-worth, and the strengthening of respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and human diversity;

       (b) The development by persons with disabilities of their personality, talents and creativity, as well as their mental and physical abilities, to their fullest potential;

       (c) Enabling persons with disabilities to participate effectively in a free society.

2. In realizing this right, States Parties shall ensure that:

       (a) Persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on the basis of disability, and that children with disabilities are not excluded from free and compulsory primary education, or from secondary education, on the basis of disability;

       (b) Persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live;

       (c) Reasonable accommodation of the individual’s requirements is provided;

       (d) Persons with disabilities receive the support required, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education;

       (e) Effective individualized support measures are provided in environments that maximize academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion.

3. States Parties shall enable persons with disabilities to learn life and social development skills to facilitate their full and equal participation in education and as members of the community. To this end, States Parties shall take appropriate measures, including:

       (a) Facilitating the learning of Braille, alternative script, augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication and orientation and mobility skills, and facilitating peer support and mentoring;

       (b) Facilitating the learning of sign language and the promotion of the linguistic identity of the deaf community;

       (c) Ensuring that the education of persons, and in particular children, who are blind, deaf or deafblind, is delivered in the most appropriate languages and modes and means of communication for the individual, and in environments which maximize academic and social development.

4. In order to help ensure the realization of this right, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to employ teachers, including teachers with disabilities, who are qualified in sign language and/or Braille, and to train professionals and staff who work at all levels of education. Such training shall incorporate disability awareness and the use of appropriate augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication, educational techniques and materials to support persons with disabilities.

5. States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others. To this end, States Parties shall ensure that reasonable accommodation is provided to persons with disabilities.

In promoting friendship and loyalty, and in safeguarding the commitment to freedom and peace, basic education can play a vital part. This requires, on the one hand, that the facilities of education be available to all, and on the other, that children be exposed to ideas from many different backgrounds and perspectives and be encouraged to think for themselves and to reason. Basic education is not just an arrangement for training to develop skills (important as that is); it is also a recognition of the nature of the world, with its diversity and richness, and an appreciation of the importance of freedom and reasoning as well as friendship. The need for that understanding – that vision – has never been stronger.

 Sen (2004)

The Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006, and became open for signature by UN ­member states on 30 March 2007. It has now been adopted by 130 countries, including 31 Commonwealth members (as of January 2008), and ratified by 29 (including India, Jamaica, Kenya, Namibia and South Africa in the Commonwealth). States are currently examining their laws and practices to ensure that they can ratify the Conven­tion. Education, which is one of the social, economic and cultural rights covered by the Convention, is subject to the ‘progressive realisation’ clause (4.2), which states that a country will adopt these rights

to the maximum of its available resources and where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of these rights …

However, states must plan and develop their capacity in line with the Convention from the moment of adoption. In education this will mean examining current legislation, practices and procedures to ensure the continuing development of their ­education systems so that all disabled children have access to education within an inclusive education system.

 DOWNLOAD (.doc)

Copyright Disclaimer: This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately


much love
B.Ed

WE ARE FRIEND
Mudassar Husain