Why does Education for All have to be Inclusive Education?

Education For All Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI) and Children with Disabilities

Natasha GrahamEducation Specialist,EFA-FTI Secretariat

Education For All Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI) and Children with Disabilities

1. What is Education For All- Fast Track Initiative? 2. EFA-FTI and children with disabilities.3. Education sector plans and the inclusion of children with disabilities4. Global and Regional Activities Program (GRA) overview

What is the EFA FTI?

• The Education for All - Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI) is a global partnership between donor and low-income partner countries, multilateral organizations and civil society to ensure quality basic education for all children.

• All low-income countries which demonstrate serious commitment to achieve universal primary completion can receive support from EFA FTI.

• EFA-FTI Partnership was established in 2002.

• EFA FTI has provided around US$ 2 billion in financial support (2004 – 2010).

FTI Partners

FTI Partners fall into four categories:

1. Developing Country Partners with an endorsed education plan;2. Donors; 3. Multilateral agencies; 4. CSOs, the private sector and private foundations and other stakeholders working in education and involved in the EFA FTI discussions.

Which countries are in the FTI Partnership?

Countries in orange: Low-income partner countriesCountries in blue: Donor countries

The following countries have joined the Fast-Track Initiative:

•Afghanistan •Albania•Benin•Bhutan•Burkina Faso•Cambodia•Cameroon•Central African Republic•Djibouti•Ethiopia•Gambia•Georgia•Ghana•Guinea•Guinea Bissau•Guyana•Haiti•Honduras•Kenya•Kyrgyz Republic•Lao People’s Democratic Republic•Lesotho

•Liberia•Madagascar•Malawi•Mali•Mauritania•Mongolia•Mozambique•Nepal•Nicaragua•Niger•Papua New Guinea•Republic of Moldova•Rwanda•Sao Tome and Principe•Senegal•Sierra Leone•Tajikistan•Timor-Leste•Togo•Uganda •Viet Nam•Yemen•Zambia

What Support does EFA FTI Offer?

Technical Support

Financial Support

Knowledge Sharing: EFA FTI provides a global platform for sharing experience on what works and what does not (regarding strategies, donor coordination, country processes, etc.)

Capacity-Building

Education Implementation Grants (EIGs) Education Plan Development Grants (EDGs) Program Development Grants (PDGs) Global and Regional Activities Grants (GRAs)

Accomplishments of FTI-endorsed countries• 19.3 Million more children enrolled in

primary school between 2002 and 2008 in FTI countries around the world.

• The number of children enrolled in African FTI countries went up 50%. In non-FTI countries the increase was 27%.

• More than 300,000 teachers were hired in FTI-endorsed countries between 2002 and 2008 with support from FTI’s main trust fund

• Between 2004 and 2010, FTI helped to build around 30,000 classrooms, provided more than 200 million textbooks and granted over two billion dollars in financial aid to developing countries

• EFA FTI is not only about financing: it helps donors and developing country partners work together to ensure that education aid is better coordinated and more effective, based on countries’ own education strategies.

EFA and Children with Disabilities or Who is being left behind?

• Estimates for the number of children living with disabilities range between 93 million and 150 million

• Many of these children are excluded from mainstream education

• Inclusive mainstream schools provide a cost effective way forward

• What is Inclusive Education?

Definitions: Inclusive Education

• 2 meanings behind the concept of “Inclusive Education”

(1) Including all children in education (means ALL – 100% - not only those deemed educable

(2) Developing mainstream schools so that they can provide relevant teaching for ALL children, that is “Inclusive Education”

Inclusive Education: an EFA Strategy for ALL Children

• Can’t reach EFA without children with disabilities

• Financially and practically impossible to create separate education system

• Inclusive education can provide better education for all

Debate around Inclusionor where do we stand?

the exception rather than the rule.

There is strong evidence that

the inclusion of children with disabilities in

mainstream schools advances universal primary education, is cost effective

and contributes to the elimination of discrimination

Effective policy to provide

education for children with

disabilities is the exception rather

than the rule

HOWEVER

Education Sector Plans and Children with Disabilities

• Establishment of SNE unit within MOE;

• Strategy and/or implementation plan;• Center within school;• Teacher training;• Learning

materials/equipment/curriculum;• Access to school

buildings/classrooms;• Situation analysis;• Disability data;• Capacity building;• Parents/community education,

involvement and awareness.

Priorities with respect to disability in EFA-FTI• Most of the 44 countries receiving support

through the FTI partnership mention children with disabilities in their education sector plans either as a specific target group or in the context of educating children with special needs, disadvantaged, vulnerable or marginalized groups or children.

• Half of these countries presented mainstreaming or inclusion as a policy option for the provision of education to children with disabilities.

• Creation of databases on children with disabilities and special needs through surveys and screening was among the strategies most frequently mentioned in the education sector plans .

• Countries express the need to develop screening methodologies and systems at school, regional and national level as well as through specific studies to identify causes of low school participation.

No Data=No Policyor

No Data Bad Policy

Disability data

Policy planning Monitoring ImplementationEvaluation

Why measure disability?

(1) Monitoring the level of functioning in a population (understanding the scope, evaluating interventions)

(2) Strategically designing service provision (i.e. designing a program for children with vision problems – need to know how many are blind, how many with limited vision, how many with correctable problems)

--ESPs and children with disabilities(3) Assessing the equalization of opportunity

(barriers to participation- employment, education, etc.)

Children with disabilities and EFA

A number of system-wide interventions are needed, including legislation, policy, national plans, funding, as well as school and community interventions

Despite the production of a multitude of guides and studies globally, the commitment, resources, guidance and support to adapt these into operational, national strategies are insufficient

Many countries=Similar ProblemsNo data=No Policy

• -Lack of data for Policy and Program planning

• Kenya: “lack of clear guidelines on the implementation of an all inclusive education policy, lack of reliable data on children with special needs, inadequate tools and skills in identification and assessment, and curriculum that is not tailored to learners with special needs”

• LAO PDR: “lack of reliable and relevant disability data prevent the Ministry of Education from making rational decisions on education development, planning, budgeting and management.”

Global and Regional Activities (GRA) Program

• GRA is a new program designed to finance global and regional activities through EFA Fund.

• The program is organized to address 3 thematic areas:– Learning Outcomes– Out of School children ->Disability– Education Financing

• GRA will contribute to knowledge and good practice sharing among EFA-FTI partners

EFA-FTI PartnershipCase study of collaboration in the area of inclusion of children

with disabilities in EFA

CambodiaMethodology development for disability

data collection and service provision

(FTI, UNICEF, HIB)

Disability Partnership

Operational support to

UNICEF (disability expertise)

UNICEF/Child Friendly Schools

Develop and pilot inclusive

education module as part

of CFS in a select number

of countries

UNICEF/MICS- Pilot (scale up)methodology in 5 countries-Develop guidelines - training manuals-Develop capacity to -scale up as part of MICS 5

GRAGlobal Good

Practice Team (FTI Secretariat)

UNICEF/UIS Out of School Initiative

Disability chapter and

methodology in the global report on out

of school children

EFA and Children with Disabilities

• Goal of parent:– A child with disability

will attend the same school as his/her siblings

– Be included in age appropriate regular classes

– With non-disabled peers

• Desired indicators:– Every child will be

welcomed at the neighborhood school

– Every child will benefit from the social and academic stimulation of education with her/her peers

– Every school will develop strategies of support to make this approach successful.

Inclusive Education: an EFA Strategy for ALL Children

THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO GET ALL CHILDREN IN SCHOOL & LEARN

For more information:www.educationfasttrack.org