Inclusive and Special Needs Education in Nepal I

• In Event: Disability and inclusive education for the post-2015 agenda setting

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify some features of inclusive / special needs education in Nepal considering a local context. Nepal has a diversified society of ethnic groups, languages, religions and caste besides a difference of urban and local areas and gender issues. For this, in Nepal, a significance of inclusive education has been discussed considering these differences and this situation raises a conceptual framework of equality and equity in education. This research took an empirical interviews with parents, teachers of children with disabilities, and practitioners besides a policy analysis.
Children with disabilities in Nepal are categorized into the blind, deaf, physical handicapped and intellectual disabilities. The field study of visiting schools shows that blind children are easier to be integrated into a normal class with special supports of resource class teachers who can teach and use a brail system. The first integrated school started in the end of the 1950’s already and an integration system gives a good interaction of learning for normal children also. However blind and intellectual disabilities children seems to be difficult to be included and they need special schools. That is a reason why both of inclusive and special needs education is always mentioned together. Moreover, the cases of children of out of school with a support of community based rehabilitation center tells us that a significance of inclusive education should be considered from a viewpoint of social inclusion in a relationship with people in the society.

Authors

• Miki Sugimura, Sophia University

• Maiko Takeuchi, JICA Research Institute