Learning differences, equity and inclusion: A review of policies and practices across ten countries

• In Event: Improving Education for a More Equitable World: Critical Perspectives

Proposal

Schools2030 is a ten-year participatory learning improvement programme based in 1,000 government schools across ten countries. Using the principles of human-centred design and a three-step model for educational change – Assess, Innovate, Showcase - Schools2030 is generating new school-based, teacher-driven and learner-centred education innovations that inform systems-level approaches about how best to improve holistic learning outcomes in challenging contexts. The programme aims to ensure all learners have the opportunity to become active participants in their education and to gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they need to establish positive livelihoods and contribute to their wider communities.

This proposed paper presentation brings together two Schools2030 partner organisations – Aga Khan Foundation and Oak Foundation – to present an analysis of policies and practices on learning differences and inclusion across the ten Schools2030 programme countries. Schools2030 works in some of the most remote and marginalised communities characterised by low learning outcomes and low resources. Many students in these communities face multiple, overlapping factors that too often constitute barriers to their learning including gender, ethnicity, language and disability. Despite the shift from segregation to integration to inclusion, UNESCO (2020) reports that many countries around the world still have laws in place that make provisions for educating learners with disabilities in either segregated or integrated settings. On top of this, recognition of learning differences is low across many poorly-resourced contexts such as those in which our programme operates. Even where policies to support students with learning differences exist, there has been little in-depth studies into how these policies translate into school-level practices.

As such, practices to promote educational inclusion for students with learning differences in low- and middle-income countries are under-researched and poorly understood. Indeed, global literature makes a clear call for better monitoring, evaluation, and availability of data so that efforts to advance inclusion may be based on evidence (Global Partnership for Education, 2018; Ruguru Ireri et al., 2020; Uganda Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, 2018; UNICEF, 2021). Where data is available, it suggests a high prevalence of learning disabilities. In India, for example, data suggests learning disabilities may be the most common of disabilities (Suresh & Sebastian, 2003; Tandon, 2007), yet these are amongst the least understood, which perpetuates negative attitudes (Saravanabhavan & Saravanabhavan, 2001). What’s more, Western borrowed definitions and tools are frequently put to use in global contexts, but it remains to be seen whether these are fit to serve the communities within the contexts where they are applied (Saravanabhavan & Saravanabhavan, 2010).

This research paper seeks to address gaps in our understanding about how learning differences are understood and what provisions are in place to support students with learning differences through national-level policies and school-level practices. It calls directly to ‘Sub-Theme I: Social Justice and Inclusion’ by aiming to identify challenges to social justice, equity and inclusion in education settings across a range of contexts.

An initial review of literature was conducted to determine the current state of research knowledge and policy-making on learning differences and inclusion across ten countries (Brazil, Portugal, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). The literature review provides an in-depth documentation of the policy position on inclusive education and special education, current definitions of these terms, as well as provision for teacher training and diagnosis of learning disabilities in each country. This is followed by qualitative evidence on how inclusion policies are enacted in school settings. Evidence was gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with teachers, school leaders, learning assessment experts, programme staff and other education stakeholders in each of the ten case study countries. These stakeholders were selected to offer a range of perspectives that include those in the classroom, technical staff and those involved in programme planning and delivery. Stakeholders were consulted in country or regional groups to better understand the most commonly used definitions of inclusive and special education and associated attitudes, levels of awareness, teacher training provision, diagnostic practice and challenges in their contexts.

Our research found that inclusive education features prominently as a policy priority across the ten countries, and that there is a movement across these geographies towards conceptualising inclusive education as the removal of barriers to learning for all children. Nevertheless, initiatives across these contexts to operationalise inclusive learning, including the systematic support of those with learning differences, are largely not yet commensurate with the ambitions laid out in policy, often due to limited awareness, funding and resource, as well as the presence of other compounding socio-economic challenges.
In this presentation, we will give an overview of the policy stance towards learning differences and inclusive education across the ten countries studied, before thematically discussing key themes and priorities identified across geographies. We believe key messages from this research resonate beyond the Schools2030 programme, offering a strategic resource for researchers, programme staff and funders alike to build actionable strategies towards a more equitable and inclusive education landscape. We recognise the value of sharing the research at CIES, where we also seek to learn and converse on how well-intentioned inclusive education policies can be operationalised in low-resource contexts.

The research is supported by and conducted in partnership with Oak Foundation as part of their Learning Differences programme. Oak Foundation defines the learning differences population as students who have specific learning disabilities (such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia) as well as individuals who may have other related neurological processing challenges that can impact learning (such as attention deficits, sensory processing disorders and executive function challenges). This includes both students who have been formally identified as well as those who do not meet diagnostic criteria but who experience challenges between the ways they best learn and the ways classrooms and instruction have typically been designed. It is the hope of both Oak Foundation and Aga Khan Foundation that the research presented can help build a better understanding of learning differences in low-resource settings and catalyse better policies and practices to support students with learning differences.

Authors

• Ellen Smith, Aga Khan Foundation

• Bethiel Girma Holton, Oak Foundation