EENET asia Newsletters : Symposium issue April 2006 Contents

One in Ten!

Charlotte Vuyiswa MsClain-Nhlapo

Two ants do not fail to pull a grasshopper - Swahili Proverb (cooperation can get things done).

The relationship between accessibility and education is strong. For many children with disabilities inaccessible environments and education systems mean never getting an education. A cycle of discrimination is at work here: children with disabilities are excluded from the education system leaving them, illiterate, socially excluded unemployable and destined to a life of poverty. According to the review of the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, less than 10% of children and youth with disabilities have access to any form of education. While this cycle of discrimination is experienced by children with disabilities, it is a cycle experienced by many other children.

The faces of exclusion are often those of children who have never attended school and those who have dropped out, many often have a learning disability. They are children who have accessed inappropriate education for children categorized as having “special needs” they are the children who have no support available outside the system.

This brings us to the scene of exclusion. The scene is often characterized by inequalities in society, lack of access to basic services and poverty which place children at risk. Inadequacies and inequalities in the education system and its contribution to learning breakdown are most evident in areas which have the lowest level of basic service provision, i.e. in rural villages . Violence, armed conflict and abuse in societies has had an enormous impact on a significant number of children in terms of their ability to access education. Increasingly we are seeing that HIV/AIDS is another factor that contributes to education exclusion and continues to place large numbers of learners at risk. Natural disasters, like the recent earthquake and the Tsunami are also factors that need to be considered.

Then there are attitudinal barriers. These negative attitudes towards differences and the resulting discrimination and prejudice in the society manifest themselves as serious barriers to learning. In addition, in many countries the curriculum does not meet the needs of a wide range of different learners.

Another issue is governance and school management. Centralized education systems are generally restrictive inhibiting change and initiative. Also often, the legal responsibility for making decisions is located at the highest level and the focus of management remains oriented towards employees complying with rules rather than on ensuring quality service delivery. Many of the school management boards are not reflective of the diversity of the communities in which they are located.
Finally, teacher training tends to be fragmented, uncoordinated, inadequate, unequal and often inappropriate to the context. Little or no training and capacity building opportunities exist for teachers and community resource persons. Many of these barriers can be overcome by policy, better planning, teacher training, empowering parents and making structural modifications. Making schools accessible does not need to be expensive – rather, it requires awareness, planning, and vigilance to ensure that resources are not expended in a manner that constructs societal barriers. Research has demonstrated that the cost of accessibility is generally less than 1% of total construction costs; however, the cost of making adaptations after a building is completed is far greater. Fears about the cost of accessibility are typically based on lack of knowledge and experience and inaccurate estimates of the actual cost of construction. In fact, perhaps the most important reason for unnecessary increased costs is not taking accessibility into consideration from the start of designing the school.

A World Bank study on special educational needs in Asia enumerates the following economic benefits from inclusive primary education:

• Reduction of social welfare costs and future dependence
• Increased potential productivity and wealth creation provided by education of children with impairments and disadvantages
• Through concomitant overall improvement of the quality of primary education, reduction in school repetition and drop-out rates
• Increased government revenue from taxes paid, which can, in part, be used to recoup the costs of initial education
• Reduction of administrative and other recurrent overheads associated with special and regular education, and
• Reduced costs for transportation and institutional provision typically associated with segregated services [1]

The exclusion of 10% of the region’s children is largely due to widespread ignorance and prejudice in our society. This continues in spite of frameworks developed to address accessibility and inclusive education:

• At a regional level, UNESCAP (2000) adopted the resolution “Promoting an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for people with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region in the twenty-first century”. It also extended the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, for another decade, 2003-2012 and in the Biwako Millennium Framework outlines issues, action plans and strategies towards an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for persons with disabilities.
• At the International Level, the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes that all children have rights, The Dakar Framework for Action 2000, sets inclusive education as one of the main strategies to address the question of marginalization and exclusion (art. 8. viii), the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities consider both education and accessibility. These rules provide useful guidance for policy design and advocacy.
• Most recently, the Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities has a draft Article on Accessibility and an Article on access to education.
• At a national level there are many countries that have domestic codes and laws addressing accessibility and inclusive education. Many have developed Education For All Plans. However, implementation varies widely and generally they have been slow to adopt measures, with few substantive initiatives taken at policy level.

Notwithstanding some of the problems, together these documents recognize the human right of all children to inclusive education. It is important to note that accessibility and access to education is not the concern of a specific social group but is an essential prerequisite for the advancement of all. We need to build a consensus that it is not okay to exclude one out of ten children from accessing a basic right to education. Educational provision and support for all children must be appropriate, effective, affordable, implementable and sustainable. Surely, education must be responsive to diversity.

We need to care, not in an abstract way but in a way in which we make sure that our schools are accessible to all. In conclusion when all children have equal access to education, a better future is possible for all. They will have the knowledge to develop and contribute to society, to live in dignity and be counted. We must all begin to take action against barriers that exclude children from getting an education. Breaking down barriers can help assure that children with disabilities are not left behind

Charlotte Vuyiswa McClain-Nhlapo is on a leave of absence from the South African Human Rights Commission, where she is a Commissioner. Currently she is with the World Bank as an Advisor on Disability for Asia. Address: The World Bank, 1818 H street, NW Washington, DC 20433 USA. Email: cmcclainnhlapo@worldbank.org

Footnote [1]: James Lynch (1994): Provision for Children with Special Educational Needs in the Asia Region. World

EENET asia Newsletters : Symposium issue April 2006 Contents