An assessment of the capacity of public primary schools to provide inclusive education in Nakuru East sub-county in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Ministry of Education considers inclusive education as an approach in which learners with disabilities and special needs, regardless of age and disability, are provided with appropriate education within regular schools. Full participation and equality should be encouraged for the special child since children’s learning does not only take place in schools, but also from their families through contact with peers, friends and participation in all diverse activities that occur in communities. This study intended to assess the capacity of public primary schools to provide inclusive education in Nakuru East Sub-county in Nakuru County, Kenya. It sought to find out if the schools have teaching and learning resource to support inclusive education, establish the extent to which teachers support inclusive education, examine difficulties faced by learners and teachers in inclusive education and suggest ways of enhancing inclusive education in public primary schools. This study was carried out using descriptive survey design. The study was done in Nakuru East Sub-county in Nakuru County and targeted a population of 1063 persons comprising of 59 head teachers and 1004 teachers from 59 public primary schools within Nakuru East Sub-county in Nakuru County. A sample of 9 Head teachers and 150 teachers were involved in the study. The study used simple random sampling to select the 9 head teachers and 150 teachers. The main tools for collecting data in this research were questionnaires. Validity of the instruments was ensured through expert opinion of university supervisor. To establish reliability of research instruments, a pilot study was done in 2 primary schools in the study area but not included in the sample. Thereafter, the data was analysed using descriptive statistics. SPSS (Statistic Package for Social Sciences) computer software version 21.0 was used for analysis. The results of the data analysed was presented in form of tables, charts and bar graphs. The study found great inadequacy both in teaching and learning resources for special education in public primary schools. There was also minimal support to learners with special needs and disability due to shortage of trained teachers in special education. Special needs education face some difficulties which include lack of teaching and learning resources; irregular attendance of learners with special needs and disabilities in schools, large class enrolment hence overloading of available trained teachers in special education and delayed remittance of funds by government to finance special programs. The study recommends that ministry of education should play a major role in promoting special needs education in the schools through; remittance of adequate funds, facilitation of more seminars/workshops, inclusion of special needs education at all levels of teacher education, and provision of adequate physical and material resources in support of inclusive education. Further studies on the study area are recommended especially on special needs education in public secondary schools in the county and in Kenya as a whole.