Introduction

“The foundational pillars of this Policy are access, equity, quality, affordability, and accountability. It believes that the purpose of education is to develop good human beings – capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution.” – NEP 2020

This vision calls for a significant transformation in our prevailing attitude and outlook on education, right from the foundational stage to teaching at the university level. To carry out the mandate of this vision to provide quality, value-based inclusive education that is accessible, affordable, and equitable for all the children of India, the most important prerequisites are strong leadership, shared vision, commitment, and accountability of management of educational institutions.

By school management, we mean, the people who are committed to and accountable for the running of a school on the whole. Depending on the type of school (Government/Aided/Unaided/Private and so on) the management may consist of trustees, members of societies, government officials or others deputed for the cause. But the principal or head of the school is always a part of the management team.

2.1 School Management and Inclusion Policies

Strong school leadership is crucial for the successful implementation of inclusive education. The most inclusive and high-quality schools have school leaders who lead with vision, inclusive values, motivation, autonomy, and trust in school staff.

2.1.1 The school heads / inclusive education leaders should genuinely accept inclusion as a philosophy and way of life.

The course of life’s journey on earth largely depends on our perceptions-how we look at things and the choices we make. Therefore, when we accept the truth that every being in this universe is here by design and not by chance, we begin to see every individual as an integral and unique part of a divine design! Moreover, what is divine can never be without any strength or purpose. Therefore, we may say that Inclusion is a philosophy that implies acceptance of differences. It enables teachers and learners to feel comfortable with diversity and see it as a challenge and enrichment in the learning environment rather than a problem. 

Schools are of many types. However, the Inclusive school is where the child is the centre of adult collaboration. Here, Inclusion is not an add-on to the conventional identity of a school. Inclusion is intrinsic to the school’s mission, philosophy, values and practices. It empowers all people, the young and the old, with or without disabilities.

“Inclusion is a philosophy which embraces the idea that everyone has something of value to contribute and that everyone has the right to belong.”- Lisa Friedman

2.1.2 The school heads/leaders should have a deep conviction about the need, the possibilities, and the benefits of Inclusive Education.

Every child is a child first before they are rich, poor, black, brown, abled, or disabled; education is a fundamental human right and not a privilege. Therefore, in education, Inclusion is based on the belief that every child can learn and realise their full potential, if provided with equal opportunities to participate in school, supported with equitable resources, and taught in a way that they can learn.

Ideally, children must receive education in an environment that is least restrictive and is most conducive to their needs. Educators nationwide have now reached a consensus that the best option is an inclusive setup, as aptly described by Professor Gary Bunch. He talks of all learners, those with disabilities and those without, being educated together in age-appropriate class groups in regular classrooms of community schools. He adds, “Within these settings, teachers, parents and others work collaboratively using appropriate and sufficient resources to interpret and enact the regular curriculum flexibly in accordance with the individual abilities and needs of all learners.”  NEP 2020 further clarifies that there could be choices of schools to accommodate different levels of disabilities.

• Regular mainstream schools or separate schools – For children with benchmark disabilities who require minimum adult support to succeed in schools.
• Separate schools- For children with severe or multiple disabilities who require intensive adult support in a small educational environment.
• Home-based learning – For children with severe and profound disabilities who are unable to learn in any school setting 

It is essential that the decision of the placement of a student with disability in any of the above educational settings is made based upon careful observations and assessments conducted by the IEP teams which include members of the home and the school. Wherever the child is placed, it is the responsibility of the school to design the teaching & learning programme in a way that ensures appropriate and joyful learning opportunities to the child.

It is vital that school heads and administrators envisage and work towards a harmonious collaboration and partnership with all types of available facilities. An inclusive mainstream school can collaborate and avail support of Special schools, Vocational training centres, Sports academies, Academies of Fine arts and the Open schooling system! The sole focus of such a collaboration would be – inspiring, insightful, enjoyable, and participative learning for ALL children.

The possibilities and benefits of such an Inclusive environment are many. Such an environment

• Develops confidence and imbibes values of acceptance, sharing and cooperation in All learners.
• Recognises the inherent worth and dignity of All learners.
• Promotes and sustains a sense of belonging in the entire school family.
• Provides equal opportunity for all learners to participate in all activities that suit their capabilities.
• Seeks to identify strengths rather than weaknesses in every learner. Thereby, children with special needs demonstrate improved outcomes in academics, social  skills, Communication skills, and Motor skills.
• Prepares learners with special needs for post-school employment/education and living independently. Thus, they are empowered to be active contributing members of society and engage in long-term stable relationships.
• Enables students without disabilities to overcome prejudices about people with disabilities and be more open to socially interacting with them.

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2.2 The Management’s Vision

NEP 2020’s lofty vision to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030 calls for reconfiguring the entire education system. Such a transformative journey requires every School Management / Heads of schools and Inclusive education Leaders to adopt the larger vision and make it their own school’s shared vision. 

2.2.1 A shared vision in school would be the vision owned and cherished by all the stakeholders in the school. School Management may adopt multiple ways to share this vision of Inclusive Education with the stakeholders. However, before sharing, one has to internalise what one wants to share. 

Therefore, it is essential for school leaders to 

• Acquire a working knowledge of the disabilities listed in the RPWD Act (2016). They do not need to be experts on disabilities, but they have to be well informed about the support these students will require.
• Become the change agent for the task ahead which involves creating a culture of respect and inclusion, redesigning the organisation, introducing new teaching strategies, engaging and communicating with different stakeholders, organising multiple training programmes, and dealing with resistance!
• Attend awareness workshops for school leaders on hard and soft elements needed for the successful implementation of inclusive education.
• Create inclusive education policies for their own school in line with the national policy. Most schools in India still need to have these policies in place. Every school begins its journey towards Inclusion by using its existing resources. Therefore, every school management must frame its own policies and procedures.
• Have access to success stories and working models of Inclusive education. The holistic approach envisioned by NEP (2020) is consistent with the notion of one world, one family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam) and is a universal design of learning and love. The more we learn to connect, collaborate and work together to create a better and more inclusive world for our children, the more successful we will be in our mission. 

2.2.2 Continuous and ongoing sensitisation programmes for advocacy of Inclusive Education and the philosophy of inclusion in the school will help in turning the school management’s vision into a shared vision of all the stakeholders. The school management must draw out a simple systematic plan to prepare and include all the members of the school family in the intended transformation.

• The first session may be organised before planning for the new academic year. The objective is primarily to share the vision of NEP 2020 about Inclusive education, the philosophy of Inclusion, and the School Management’s resolve to make the school compliant with the new Education policy’s vision.
• However, to reach out to all the stakeholders multiple ongoing meetings and training sessions will need to be organised:
  • School management / school owners with school heads and administrators.
  • School heads /administrators with assistant heads /coordinators in charge of every section,
  • School heads and assistant heads with teaching staff, special educators, and counsellors.
  • School heads /administrators with non-teaching staff, utility staff, transport staff, 
  • School heads with vocational trainers and people who train students for sports & extracurricular activities.
  • School heads and Management with all Parents.
  • School heads with All students class-wise. 
• The subsequent sessions will be used to review the existing practices, reflect on the changes required, and plan (both at the micro and macro level) for the school’s journey forward. According to the agenda, action groups will be formed.
• Ideally speaking, when a school follows the UDL approach, ALL children, including those with special needs, should be the responsibility of the respective class teacher. But in the present scenario, the class teachers require more support. From amongst the existing proactive staff members, the school management may select one Inclusive education champion to prepare and keep records, coordinate and assist the head of the school to extend appropriate support to all children with special needs.
• The school principal, vice principal and the Inclusive education champion, along with the special educators, counselors and the section heads can constitute the team that actively supports and empowers each of the children with special needs, their respective teachers and families. They can work as a team to plan and implement the Inclusive education program of the school.

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2.3 Teaching and Learning in the school- the Management’s commitment

Regarding Teaching and Learning, Inclusive Education leaders / School Heads should ensure that the school always remains a learning-nurturing organisation for all stakeholders. They should develop plans for continuous Staff training and development to improve the teaching-learning process in the school. 

2.3.1 Teachers need to be prepared sufficiently to handle the curriculum and pedagogy prescribed for each school stage in the Inclusive system. Therefore, need-based training modules must be developed and incorporated into the pre-service and in-service Teachers’ training programs. In the new government recognised teachers training programme, it would be ideal if trainee teachers have a paper on Inclusion with a chapter on the RPWD Act of 2016, and  the  practice teaching lesson plans are made for inclusive classrooms with diverse learners.The responsibility of organizing the in-service training sessions could be shared by a cluster of schools in an area.

2.3.2 At every stage of the implementation of Inclusive Education, a healthy collaboration between special educators and regular teachers has proved to work wonders for the children. Therefore, taking steps to appoint special education teachers and counsellors who can collaborate with general education teachers, parents, and the CWSN is also the responsibility of the school management.

Collaboration between general and special education teachers starts with identifying the area of difficulty and then goes on to assessments, teaching strategies, and monitoring student progress. Short-term, intensive instruction, as well as sustained instruction in basic skills or learning strategies, can be provided to students with special needs through this combined effort of special and general teachers. It has also been seen that children (especially those with disabilities) develop better self-images and become less critical and more motivated and confident due to this collaborative model.

2.3.3 To transform the school into an Inclusive school, school Managements /Heads should also critically review the transaction of the existing curriculum, teaching, and evaluation strategies. It is necessary to modify them to comply with the new education policy.

• Ideally, the transaction of the curriculum needs to be reviewed. curriculum should be outcome-based for skill development in primary school and practical / work based in the secondary to ensure post-school success.
• Good, child-centred, innovative teaching practices are the first prerequisites to INCLUSION. Unfortunately, our system of education emphasizes teaching more than learning. This needs to change and can be changed. It is not only children with disabilities; every child learns differently. Our teaching-learning process has to address diverse needs.
• If alternative teaching and learning methods are, acceptable alternative evaluation procedures should not pose a challenge!  School Management must think a little out of the box and frame equity-based exam rules.
  • Flexibility in exam timetables and timings.
  • The flexibility of Question paper pattern.
  • Flexibility in allotting special blocks, using computers and calculators, and allowing required concessions when a child needs them.
• School Heads should be aware and be updated on all the provisions and accommodations provided by the different boards for students with disabilities and guide parents to avail of the facilities if they benefit the students. 
• Finally, developing a robust and objective monitoring system with constructive feedback to review the teaching and learning process in classrooms periodically will improve the quality of education and strengthen accountability at each level.

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2.4. Making school accessible and conducive to learning for ALL children – Management’s role

NEP 2020 is a policy that is in complete consonance with the provisions of the RPWD Act 2016 and endorses all its recommendations about school education. Therefore, schools must modify infrastructure and use technology, assistive devices, and learning resources effectively to provide equitable opportunities for children with disabilities to access all facilities, learn and grow into confident and proactive individuals in society.

2.4.1 School managements have to make the school building and amenties accessible to CWSN. This includes libraries, laboratories, canteens, activity rooms and playgrounds.

If the owner/management is building a new school, it should be mandatory to incorporate all the necessary infrastructural requirements right from the beginning, but in an existing school, modifications and improvements may happen in stages as per the individual requirement of school. Every small step forward matter in this journey toward an inclusive world

2.4.2 Making provision for necessary assistive aids and adaptations to support children’s learning is also part of the school management’s responsibilities in an inclusive school. Assistive devices make learning more accessible and enjoyable for people with disabilities.  According to the varying needs, these devices may be personalised and owned by individuals or maybe kept in school for general use by all those who need them. Interestingly, a good number of these devices help even some of the other children who have no apparent disabilities but display a lack of interest, attention, and confidence in learning.  There is a  boom in the invention and manufacture of assistive devices all over the world, but they are only affordable to some. Therefore, indigenous innovations should also be encouraged and supported.

2.4.3 Another critical role that School Heads must play is planning realistic budgets and arranging financial resources to implement plans. This is undoubtedly challenging but not unsurmountable if there is transparency, integrity, and a genuine commitment to the cause. The owners of the school, the trustees, the parents, the alums, the community,  the Government and the society have to collaborate to find practical solutions. Only an inclusive society will understand the need to support inclusive education.

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2.5 School Management, parents and the community

The role of Inclusive Education leaders / School Heads in ensuring the involvement of parents and the community in the school’s Inclusive Education program should never be overlooked. The possibilities are immense.

“True education does not merely enable a child to learn how to earn a living; it equips the child for life. This can only be achieved with the triple partnership between the school, the child, and the parents.” – Sri Satya Sai Baba

• The school management, the teachers, the parents, and the students are the four main pillars of any school, and the relationship between them should be based on mutual trust, empathy, and understanding. Home, school, and community are interdependent on each other. In the kind of schools our NEP2020 envisions, parents must be an integral part of the school’s design for Inclusive Education.
• Making provision for paraprofessional assistance to meet the special needs of children is part of Inclusive education.
• Establishing contacts with local professionals like Child Psychologists, therapists (speech/occupational) counsellors, and special education teachers who can help students enables the School Heads to guide and support parents & families of CWSN.
• Establishing contact with Government agencies in the state that are authorised to assess and certify children with disabilities is necessary.
• Identifying local agencies and people who can collaborate with the school for skill development, vocational & pre-vocational training of students helps the school to provide equitable opportunities.
• School management must take up continuous capacity-building initiatives for all stakeholders and organise ongoing sensitisation programmes for advocacy of Inclusive Education and the philosophy of inclusion in the community. 

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Source and Attribution of images All images used in the above Assets and Aids are originally created.

This digital material has been developed by the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini Inclusive Education Project, a unit of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, as a collaborative offering in the service of our nation.