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?