Inclusive Education Case Study

Chapter one
Introduction

1.1 Background: Unfolding the concept of Inclusive Education The field of special educational has undergone a tremendous transformation with the initiation of the inclusive movement and is characterised by the constant changes, controversies in terms of policy and practice as noted by Polat & Kisanji (2009). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for action on Special Educational Needs' (1994, UNESCO) brought about a significant move towards inclusive education. It was designed as a part of the aim of achieving "Education for All" by which every child had the basic right to education. As a result, all the participating nation had to adopt the philosophy of inclusive education and develop programs and policies
However, they play a significant role in the public sector as it funds and offers free education to the citizens of the country and education up to grade nine is compulsory. Additionally, the Ministry is more involved and supervises the infrastructure, curriculum, resources and all developments. With respect to the private education, there has been a considerable increase in number of schools to meet the demands of the thriving expat population due to the economic growth in the region. In order to meet the cultural and educational needs of the expats various curriculums are offered, although the key ones are American, British and Asian. The role of the Ministry in private education is limited to licensing and accounting for the essential criteria's being met as observed by Bradshaw et al.(2004).But with the setting up of KHDA in Dubai (Knowledge and Human development Authority) by the Executive Council Decree No. 11 of 2007, it paved way for the government's dedication to ensures the quality standards of the private schools. As a part of this process the KHDA conducts annual inspection based on certain guidelines outlined in the handbook and rates the school.
The demographics of the participants would answer the debate of appropriate qualification. Additionally, examination of the documents related to the support staff to support the teaching of SEN students, conducting lesson observations and interviews with the classroom teachers, team administrators would help to align the effective part played by the support staff in promoting the inclusive practice within the school framework. It also requires to align with the country's policy as reflected in the 'School for All' document. Subsequently, these effective practices and strategies of employing the support staff in a main stream school could be adopted, implemented or improvised into an another setting. Therefore the study aspires to answer the following questions:
1. What are the primary areas of support offered by the teaching assistants to promote inclusive education and to the extent they are effective in this role in terms of the country's and schools policy