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Challenges in Popularising
Inclusive Education in Inner Mongolia and Some Solutions
Focus: School Years
Topic: Inclusive Education
Xu Bailun Tian Yongan
Director
Golden Key Research Center of Education for Visually Impaired
33-1-103 En Ji Li,
Haidian, Beijing 100036
China
86-10-8812 2497
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is located in North China, with an area of 1,180,000 square kilometers and a population of 22,300,000. It is a high, cold, sparsely populated region. There are only 2 Schools for the Blind with 20 students. Though some low visions are in school, their teachers have had no training in special education.
In 1999-2003, the Golden Key Integrated Education (IE) Project is being implemented in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with the aim of raising the admission rate of the visually impaired (VI) to above 90%. This paper will introduce the challenges we face and the measures we have taken in implementing the project, mainly in the following aspects:
1. From a shortage of teachers to quickly popularizing education for the VI.
2. From no training in special education to inclusive education.
3. From usual traditional practice to modern scientific administration.
4. From short-term project to a foundation for sustainable development.
The solution to the problems will be of universal significance to the widespread poverty-stricken rural areas in popularizing education for the VI.
The right of every child to education is proclaimed in The Universal Declaration of Human Right; besides, education is also a fundamental human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Children all stipulate that the right of everyone to education is the responsibility of the whole world.
As is well known the most difficult point in universalizing the compulsory education lies in education for the disabled, especially in poverty-stricken areas. If a breakthrough can be made in this respect, it will be conducive to achieving the ideal of education for the whole world.
Education for the disabled has undergone 3 stages, i.e., isolation, integration and inclusion. In developing areas, should education for the disabled follow the 3 stages step by step? Or is it possible to go directly to inclusive education? The above is a common problem that needs further exploration.
When we implement the integrated education project in Inner Mongolia, we hope, guided by the ideas of inclusive education, to explore a way to quickly popularize education for the VI.
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region lies in North China, with an area of 1,180,000 square kilometer and a population of 22,300,000. It is located from North latitude 36° to 54°. In addition, it is a dry and drought-prone region, located on highland, where it is cold, windy and dusty. The Region is vast in territory but sparsely populated; the population density is less than 20 people per square kilometer.
Presently there are 2,230 school aged VI children, among them 378 are blind and 1,852 are low vision. However, only 20 students are enrolled in the Special Schools for the Blind. Although a great many low vision children are integrated in schools, their teachers have had no training in special education.
The objective of the IE project is, from 1999 to 2003, to raise the enrollment rate of the VI children to 90%, and provide them with special education to meet their needs. Furthermore, to lay a sustainable foundation for future development. Therefore, we are facing the following challenges:
1. Contradiction between the shortage of teachers and development at high speed. In Inner Mongolia, only 16 teachers are fully engaged in special needs education for the visually disabled. However, there are about 2000 VI children who urgently need the education, so there exists a wide gap between the teachers and students.
2. Contradiction between low starting point and high quality: Generally speaking, most of the VI children are from the poor remote areas, where the level of education and quality of the teachers are not satisfactory. Thus, it is a hard task to enable the teachers to master the special needs education and qualify them for the teaching.
3. Contradiction between traditional practice and modern scientific administration.
Inner Mongolia has long been based on farming and animal husbandry, the harvest was poor due to bad weather. The traditional practices, deeply rooted in their lives and work, limit the scientific management.
4. Contradiction between short-term project and sustainable development. The project is fives year long, with great input in professional knowledge, funds and equipment. Therefore, how to guarantee sustainable development upon the end of the project is a problem that needs to be solved.
1. Training:
2. Integrate the VI at nearby schools and select the teachers locally. In the poverty-stricken areas, the stability of trained personnel is far from satisfactory. Therefore, selecting teachers at the local schools when VI students are integrated is more practical.
3. Group the students according to the acuity of their sight and give step-by-step instructions. Classroom teachers take chief responsibility for the VI students. In the meantime, we not only provide them training and in-service guidance, but also offer them opportunities to exchange their experience in teaching with other teachers.
A supervisor at the county level is appointed to be responsible for providing necessary guidance for all the classroom teachers in a county. Furthermore, a guidance center and resource center is set up at each prefecture. The teachers in the centers are also responsible for providing training, in-service guidance and introduction of theory.
1. Equal attention to the training for teachers and administrative staff: satisfactory education results from qualified teachers as well as scientific management. Therefore, we conducted training sessions not only for the teachers, but also for administrative staff at the county and prefecture levels.
4. Teaching:
5. Attention to the disabled as well as the normal students. Through formulating integrated teaching plans for different courses, teachers not only care for the normal but also for the disabled students; Meanwhile, teachers make full use of the class time and provide opportunities for students to learn from each other and progress together.
6. Attention to differences between the sighted and the blind: Based on the particularities of the VI students, we require teachers to formulate individual teaching plans. Each term one or two problems in aspects such as, psychological rehabilitation, social adaptability, study ability and life skills will be selected and require the teachers to take steps to help the students to solve the problems. Meanwhile, efforts from school, family and community should also be mobilized.
7. To compensate for the disadvantages of the blind and develop their potentials: it is true that the blind have disabilities but they have special advantages in other sense organs. In teaching, we should make full use of other senses and develop their potentials in study.
8. Social adaptability and equal participation: Normal students should respect the rights of the disabled and the VI students should know their responsibilities. Do not give the disabled too much care and praise, in order that they form a correct attitude towards the society.
9. To cultivate a friendly atmosphere for the blind. A friendly atmosphere for the blind is very necessary for their study. The atmosphere should firstly be formed in the particular classroom, and then expands to the whole school. The VI students are moved by the efforts of their peers and in return work more diligently, which will motivate the whole school and further promote quality education.
10. Evaluation
11. Evaluation at 3 stages: Based on the ideals of inclusive education, we divide the evaluation criteria into 9 parts, namely files, teachers, teaching environment, psychological rehabilitation, social adaptability, study skills, life skills, parental involvement, teaching assistance.
The evaluation will be conducted at three stages over a 2-year period, which will be done 2 month, 1 year, and 2 years after integration. Besides, it requires that the related personnel should go from “getting to know the fundamentals of education for VI ”, to “becoming familiar with it”, then to “basically mastering the rules in teaching the VI”.
Before teacher training ends, a detailed explanation session about the evaluation criteria will be organized for the trainees, so the evaluation criteria will be the joint objective and goal in the whole process of teaching.
1. Comprehensive principle: we shall put together the requirement for VI students, teachers, headmasters, parents and itinerant teachers in one evaluation form and conduct the evaluation at one time. When the evaluation finishes, we’ll do a sum-up according to their responsibilities. Besides, we’ll put forward suggestions so as to further improve the education and research. In this way, the workload of the local school and administration staff is greatly reduced.
2. Knowledge input: the nine 1st class indices are divided into 20 2nd class indices, with feasible and easily understandable requirements. In addition, detailed explanations and various reference materials are provided. The great amount of knowledge input helps the village teachers to master the key points quickly. We also adopt this principle in survey, training and teaching with satisfactory results.
12. Planning
13. To mobilize social awareness and concern for inclusive education: The Golden Key Leading Group is set up at prefecture as well as county level. Led by the education department, the project is jointly assisted by the Health Department, Civil Administration, Disabled People’s Federation, and Women’s Federation. In the villages, when the VI children are identified, we conduct extensive publicity on humanitarianism and inclusive education, so as to motivate the community to participation.
14. To use the experience of selected units to promote work in the entire area. First of all, set up the central resource center and launch a pilot project in one prefecture, in order to obtain experience. The second year, expand the project into the central area, and set up a resource center in the eastern areas. In this way, the project will gradually expand to all parts of Inner Mongolia.
15. Guidance and network: Headed by the 3 resource centers, each prefecture has a guidance center. Each county has a supervisor to assist village teachers. Besides, administrative staff at prefecture and county levels have had training. In this way, a perfect instructional and administrative network is formed.
16. Administration
17. File: starting from the files for the VI students, we also set up files for the teachers, files on teaching and evaluation, etc. The file administration, to some extent, standardizes the education and teaching.
18. Practical and easy to understand method: whenever we put forward a requirement and make up a chart, we’ll take into account the ability of the local teachers and administrative staff so that they can clearly understand and handle the task.
19. Patience: In accordance with the local traditional customs, whenever we give instructions about one arrangement, we give them detailed explanations on how to do it. One important point is everything should be in written form. During this process careful examination is necessary in order to avoid misunderstanding or omission.
V. Achievement
Achievement made in the past 3 years
1. We have popularized the education for the VI in one third of the Inner Mongolia
2. The VI children generally received the special needs education they needed. Among all the evaluation results, comments marked “Excellent and Good” reach 80%.
3. The school and community where the VI is identified gained better insights about inclusive education. The school itself can take the responsibility for the VI students in teaching and education.
4. To set up an instructional and administrative network for Inner Mongolia, and train a large number of village teachers and administrative staff, which lays a foundation for sustainable development in future.
Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. The above achievements prove that our work is successful. The following conclusion can be drawn from our experience and exploration.
1) It is possible to rapidly popularize the education for the VI in developing countries.
2) In developing areas where the foundation of special education is weak, inclusive education can be applied directly rather than repeat the isolated or integrated education.
3) Our work in Inner Mongolia provides a series of referential principles and measures for developing countries.
VI. Reference:
1. Ainscow, Mel. Charting a New Course in Teacher Development, 1999, Special Education Partnerships for the 21st Century
2. Brohier, William. The Education of Children with Visual Impairment—from Segregation to Inclusive Schools, 1999, CBM
3. Campos, Mavis. ICEVI’s Xth World Conference, August 3-8, 1997
4. The education of the visually impaired in NORWAY, European Newsletter, ICEVI, 2001.1
5. Human Resource Development in Support of Inclusive Education, UNESCO, 2001
6. Including the excluded: One School for All, EFA 2000, UNESCO, 1998
7、 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights , UN，1949
8、 The Convention on the Rights of the Children，UNICEF，1989
9、 Salamanca Manifesto, UNESCO， 1994
10、 《An overview of the education situation for children in 1999》，UNICEF，1999
11、 《Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and its education》，Inner Mongolia Education Committee，1999
VII. Acknowledgement:
The Golden Key Project has always got the help and attention from UNESCO
The Golden Key Project is kindly sponsored by EED, CBM, HBM, D&L Blind Care, China Amity Foundation, Song Qingling Foundation, etc.
Meanwhile, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to Mr. William Brohier, Mr. Larry Campbell, and Prof. Sun Baochen.
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