An investigation on challenges facing implementation of inclusive Education In Public Primary Schools in Matete District, Kakamega County; Kenya

Abstract

Inclusive education has become a global trend in provision of services for pupils with disabilities. Kenya has contributed to the initiatives through provision of Free Primary Education (FPE) and formulation of Special Needs Policy towards promoting inclusive education. The policy was to ensure equitable access to quality education and training of learners with special needs. However, special needs education still faces many challenges and the implementation of the policy has not been very successful. The factors that hinder the provision of education for special needs learners include: insufficient data on children with special needs, stigmatization of persons with disabilities, lack of qualified professionals, ineffective assessment tools, inappropriate curriculum as well as instructional methodologies. This has led to misplacement of pupils with special needs in Special Units. This study focused on investigating the challenges facing implementation of inclusive education in public primary schools in Matete District, Lugari Sub County; Kenya. The objectives of the study were to establish the type of learner based factors influencing implementation of inclusive education, to assess the resources available, to explore the level of awareness among teachers and to assess level of training among teachers. The study employed the descriptive survey method and used qualitative methods to analyze the relationships between variables and further interpretation. The research instruments used included questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis. The analysis of data was both qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative analysis considered conclusions from the respondents' opinions while quantitative analysis involved use of frequency counts and distribution, tabulation, totals and calculation of percentages. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software whose output was presented in form of graphs, tables, percentages and charts. The learner based factors such as type of disability, motivation, benefits, performance, participation and self esteem had a great influence on implementation of inclusive education. Inadequate training, lack of teaching materials, inappropriate curriculum to a large extent decelerated implementation of inclusive education. The results highlighted the existence of poor learning environment as well as low level of awareness on the contents of Special needs policy among teachers as a hindrance to inclusive education. These results will assist the Ministry of Education to plan, organize and manage special educational provisions adequately. Recommendations of the report include: establishment of assessment resource centres to support in identification of type of disabilities, allocation-of adequate funding and training of all the teachers.The report concludes that inclusive education is a basic human right and it requires involvement of all stakeholders including the government, teachers, parents, pupils and communities for it to become a reality.