Disability, Education & International Development: A critique
Guy Le Fanu, Global Technical Lead (Education), Sightsavers UKFIET 2015, 15-17 September, 2015
Critical review of relevant literature
‘Academic' literature182 articles, including: • Case studies of education
provision • Country-specific analyses of
factors shaping this provision
• Analyses of the work of the international development community in the field
‘Grey’ literature 31 documents, including: • Organisational policies• Project evaluations• Government reports• Multi-country studies
But gaps in/limitations of literature…
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EducationRehab
Education provision: Issues of access
Percentages of children with disabilities accessing education and rehabilitation services in 15 sub-districts of rural Bangladesh (Murthy et al, 2013)
Education provision: issues of quality
Challenges • Inappropriate curricula &
pedagogies• Inaccessible learning
environments• Insufficient/inappropriate
learning resources • ‘Teacher’-related factors• Child abuse• Non-inclusive school-based
systems & processes
Some key texts• Arbeiter & Hartley, 2012;
Lynch et al, 2014; Singal, 2008 – mainstream schools
• Kristensen et al, 2006 – special schools
• Moswela & Mukhopadhyay, 2011; Matshedisho, 2007 – colleges & universities
• Luger et al, 2012; Van der Mark & Verrest, 2014 – home and community-based support
Levels of analysis of education systems
1. ‘Sites’ of formal, non-formal and informal education – homes, schools, colleges & centres
2. Educational ‘settings’ – community realities3. Educational structures: support-systems, legislation
& policies, administrative structures 4. National educational contexts: governance, culture,
ideology, country-specific events etc. 5. Transnational educational contexts: regional factors;
colonialism; neo-colonialism and globalisation; international legislation etc.
UNESCO’s vision of educational transformation
Inclusive pedagogies and curricula in inclusive settings
Relevance Commonality
Differentiation Participation
Orchestration
CommunitiesNational governments
Civil society Development community
Theory of learners and learning
Theory of social change
Progressive educational theory
Social utopianism
Endogenous orders of discourse
Evidence base
1. Analyses of pilot programmes in schools supported by international development community (IDC): McConkey & Maringa, 2011; Grimes, 2009; Deng &Holdsworth, 2007; Johnstone & Chapman, 2009; Urwick & Elliott, 2010; Grimes et al, 2013.
2. Analysis of ‘alternative’ educational programmes supported by IDC: Kelly et al, 2012; Shin et al, 2009; Sen & Goldbart, 2005; Wapling, 2010; Lynch, 2011a, 2011b; Stone-Macdonald, 2008.
3. Autonomous, grassroots initiatives: Pather, 2007; 2011; Van der Mark & Verrest, 2014.
Towards a connective practice
Needs of learners Local realities
Broad & diversified education provision
Gradualist & pragmatic approach of IDAs
Multi-faceted educational interventions
Learning-focused educational development
‘Triple track’ approach
Challenge of discourse & ideology
Challenge of systems & structures
Challenge of capacity & commitment
Questions for consideration
1. What are the factors at present preventing large numbers of people with disabilities in low and middle income countries accessing “inclusive and equitable quality education”?
2. What changes are necessary in these countries? 3. How can the international development
community (IDC) facilitate these changes? 4. In order to facilitate these changes, how does the
IDC itself need to change? What are the implications of this?