The journey towards inclusive education in Bangladesh: Lessons learned

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The journey towards inclusive education in Bangladesh: Lessons learned M. Tariq Ahsan • Jahirul Mullick

Published online: 11 April 2013  UNESCO IBE 2013

Abstract Several international declarations, signed over the last few decades, are helping to promote Education for All, by eliminating inequalities in both society and education systems. This article, a descriptive review of policy documents and reform initiatives, reports on ways the Government of Bangladesh has responded to these international declarations. The review focuses on issues that promote the inclusion of diverse learners in mainstream primary and secondary schools. The most recent policy in Bangladesh, the National Education Policy 2010, also attempted to address inclusive education. Two major reform initiatives endorsed inclusion: the Second Primary Education Development Program and the Teaching Quality Improvement project. To some extent, these projects brought the philosophy and implementation strategies of inclusion into the country’s existing education system. Other initiatives are promoting collaborations between state and private agencies. Lessons from these policies and initiatives should help other developing countries achieve the goals of Education for All through inclusive education. Keywords Inclusive education  Education for All (EFA)  Diverse children  Public sector interventions  National policies  Bangladesh

The concept of inclusive education (IE) has been reflected in various declarations and policy documents on international human rights. The journey towards IE began in 1948, when the UN declared the right to education for all in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN 2007). In the last two decades, the international community witnessed the release of several key guiding policies related to IE, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN 1989), the World Declaration on Education for All (UNESCO 1990), the Salamanca Statement and Framework of Action (UNESCO 1994), the Dakar Framework for Action (UNESCO 2000), and the UN Convention on the Rights M. T. Ahsan (&)  J. Mullick Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] J. Mullick e-mail: [email protected]

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of Persons with Disabilities (UN Enable 2008). The core significance of all these policies is that they are addressing and responding to the diverse needs of all children, including those with special needs, and treating them equally in society and school. The focus of IE is to reform the education system to fit the learners, rather than expecting the learners to fit the system; it rejects the notion that those learners who cannot fit in will be excluded from the system. Thus, the social model of inclusion encourages IE by recognising diversity and performing in ways that support diverse learners in the regular system. The special education approach was established based on the philosophy behind the medical model, but a significant change in the