Practices to Promote Inclusive Education in Regular Teacher Training Programme

Abstract

Inclusive Education means all children have the right to education that caters to the extent possible to their individual needs. This involves mainstreaming children with special needs in to regular classroom settings by allowing them to study together with their typically developed peers. To support inclusive education system three areas must be considered: 1. The attitudes of regular teacher and other education staff. 2. Pre-service training programs to ensure the future teachers enter the profession with skills and content. 3. In-service training programme to improve the abilities of the existing teachers. In the study investigated by Vijetha and Prithi (ARF project 2010-2011), “Attitudes of pre-service educators towards Inclusive Education” indicated that pre-service educators were favorable towards inclusion of children with special needs, but were doubtful about their own skills and knowledge in handling children with special needs in classroom situations. The present study investigated teacher educator’s attitudes, concerns and also their practices about Inclusive Education in their respective colleges such as B.Ed, D.Ed and Nursery teacher training centres in Mysore. The main objective of the study is to find out the major steps taken up to promote Inclusive Education in Teacher Training programmes. The results imply that even though teacher educators are inclined towards Inclusive education they expressed their apprehensions about their own teacher trainees gaining fundamental knowledge and skills of inclusive education as an integral part of their curricula as it is not a compulsory subject.