Inclusive education means different and diverse students learning\nside by side in the same diversity and the unique contributions each student\nbrings to the classroom. In a truly inclusive classroom, they enjoy field trips\nand after-school activities together. They participate in student government\ntogether. And they attend the same sports meets and plays. Inclusive education\nmakes every child feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Students and their\nparents participate in setting learning goals and take part in decisions that\naffect them. Also, school staff have the training, support, flexibility, and\nresources to nurture, encourage and respond to the needs of all students.\nSimilarly, an inclusive society is a society that overrides differences of\nrace, gender, class, generation and geography. It ensures inclusion, equality\nof opportunity as well as enhances the capability of all members of the society\nto determine an agreed set of social institutions that govern social\ninteraction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Social Summit defined that the aim of social integration is to\ncreate an inclusive society, in which every individual, each with rights and\nresponsibilities, has an active role to play. But what makes some societies\nmore inclusive than others? What are the critical elements for creating and\nmaintaining an inclusive society in practical terms? An inclusive society is\nbased on the fundamental human rights value, that is, \u201call human beings are\nborn free and equal in dignity and rights.\u201d They are endowed with reason and\nconscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. \u201cIt\nis a society in which all members, regardless of their backgrounds, are able\nand motivated to participate in civic, social, economic and political\nactivities.\u201d For this to happen, legal, regulatory and policy frameworks must\nbe inclusive, and uphold and promote just and inclusive processes in all areas\nof implementation, so that equal access to basic education, public space,\nfacilities and information are ensured, and diversity and cultural pluralism\nare respected and accommodated. As a pre-requisite, respect for all human\nrights, freedoms, and the rule of law, both at national and international\nlevels, are fundamental. Every member of society, no matter what his or her\neconomic resources, political status, or social standing are must be treated\nequally under the law. Legal instruments ensure the guiding principles that\nwill guarantee equity, justice and equal opportunities for all citizens.\nViolators of human rights should be brought to justice. The judiciary which\nserves to protect just societies must be impartial, accountable and inclusive\nto giving weight to the opinions of those who defend the inclusiveness of the\nsociety at the local, regional and national levels. Maintaining the security of\nall individuals and their living environment is paramount in creating a feeling\nof inclusion and an atmosphere of participation in society. To create and\nsustain inclusive societies, it is critical that all members of society are\nable and motivated to participate in civic, social, economic and political\nactivities, both at the local and national levels. A society where most\nmembers, if not all, feel that they are playing a part, have access to their\nbasic needs\/livelihoods, and are provided with the opportunity to participate\nin decision-making processes that affect their lives, is a society that will\nbest foster principles of inclusiveness. The existence of a strong civil\nsociety is fundamental to active participation and making public policies and institutions\naccountable. It fosters a respect for the rights, dignity and privileges of all\npeople, while assuming that they fulfil their responsibilities within their\nsociety. There must be freedom for people to express diverse views and develop\nunconventional unique ideas. Members of society must have the confidence to\nengage and interact with each other, and build mutual trust while acknowledging\ntheir differences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to encourage all-inclusive participation, there must be\nuniversal access to public infrastructure and facilities (such as community\ncentres, recreational facilities, public libraries, resource centres with\nInternet facilities, well-maintained public schools, clinics, water supply and\nsanitation). These are the basic services which will create, when partly or\nfully put into place, conditions for people to have a sense of belonging by not\nsuffering the painful consequence of being unable to afford them. As long as\nboth the advantaged and disadvantaged have equal access to or benefit from\nthese public facilities and services, they will all feel less burdened by their\ndifferences in socio-economic status, thus alleviating a possible sense of\nexclusion or frustration. It is important to note though, that access alone\ndoes not necessarily ensure use of public facilities, as unequal relations\nwithin communities and households may inhibit the use of facilities by\nvulnerable groups. Addressing the unequal power relations is therefore a\nnecessary step to increase participation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, equal access to public information plays an important role\nin creating an inclusive society, as it will make popular participation\npossible with well-informed members of society. Information that pertains to\nthe society such as what a community owns, generates, or benefits from should\nbe made available to all. Collective participation, through accepted\nrepresentations of all classes and backgrounds, in the planning, implementation\nand evaluation of community activities should be sought after.\nPublication\/information sharing and increasing the accessibility of the\ncommunity\u2019s activities will eliminate doubts and suspicions which could\notherwise create a sense of exclusion. The mass media can be used as an\neffective tool to educate and enlighten members of society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Equity in the distribution of wealth and resources is another\ncritical element of inclusive societies. How the resources are allocated and\nutilised will significantly affect the orientation of a society, either towards\na more integrated, inclusive society, or an exclusive, polarised, and\ndisintegrated one. Therefore, socio-economic policies should be geared towards\nmanaging equitable distribution and equal opportunities. Inclusive policies,\ninstructions and programmes that are sensitive to and cater to the less\nadvantaged and vulnerable need to be put in place in all areas\/sectors,\nincluding public health, and should be effectively implemented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a need for a strong monitoring and evaluation tools to\ndemonstrate whether inclusiveness was actually achieved, as well as\nhighlighting areas for improvement. Another dimension of inclusive societies is\ntolerance for and appreciation of cultural diversity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Education plays a critical role in this area, as it will provide\nopportunities to learn the history and culture of one\u2019s own and other\nsocieties, which will cultivate the understanding and appreciation of other\nsocieties, cultures and religions. Particularly for young people, education\nprovides the opportunity to instil values of respect and appreciation of\ndiversity. At the same time, education can empower those who are marginalised\nor excluded from participating in discussions and decision-making. Learning\nabout the historical processes and changes allows people to understand the way\nin which they and others have been affected by socially inclusive or exclusive\npolicies, which ultimately influence the values, choices and judgements of\nindividuals, in particular of those who are in decision-making positions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective leadership is crucial to the development of an inclusive\nsociety. Where leadership is not representative of the society, a disconnection\nbetween the people and their leaders may eventually result. The most common way\nof addressing this critical element at the local level is by engaging in open consultations\nwith members of society about issues such as the budget, and enhancing the free\nand timely flow of information to citizens and other stakeholders. Popular\nparticipation in decision-making and policy formulation processes could be\nsought for at all levels of governance. At the same time, there must be an\neffort made to achieve transparency and accountability by all decision-makers\nand stakeholders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Inclusive education means different and diverse students learning side by side in the same diversity and the unique contributions each student brings to the classroom. In a truly inclusive classroom, they enjoy field trips and after-school activities together. They participate in student government together. And they attend the same sports meets and plays. Inclusive education […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":520,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions\/520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}