Best practices in inclusive education for children with disabilities: applications for program design in the Europe & Eurasia region

Regular schools with an inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes and achieving education for all. The purpose of this report is to promote programming efforts in inclusive education in the Europe and Eurasia (E&E) region.

The author notes that most education ministries in the E&E region have made progress in the area of education for children with special needs. However, the gap between policy and practice is large. The findings in this respect are:

• government decentralisation and wider education reform efforts appear to have a positive impact on inclusive education programming
• scarce financial and human resources are mostly the actual barriers to the expansion of inclusive education
• this scarcity is overlaid with a lack of political will and differing priorities in education reform, and the absence of clear strategic planning for inclusive education (IE) implementation
• the direct success of inclusive education is strongly linked to the abilities of teachers in classrooms
  

The paper concludes that further progress will depend on a concerted and coherent approach by international organisations and donors. In addition, it underscores these recommendations:

• assist governments to develop a functional education information management system specifically for inclusive education
• assist in the formation of a designated independent unit at the central government level to lead, promote, guide, and monitor IE implementation
• support the formation of a strong network of local and international NGOs and disabled people’s organisations
• support a national public information and awareness campaign for improved disability services including education 
• provide specialised support to staff and students at the school level that allows for appropriate learning opportunities and inclusion to take place
• support the formation and active functioning of school-community or parent-teacher associations