Inclusive Education in Private Pre-Primary Schools in Lilongwe Urban City, Malawi: A Case Study

Abstract

          The focus of this article is to examine the implementation of inclusive education in private pre-schools in the urban setting of Lilongwe city in Malawi. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to explore the implementation of inclusive education based on Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological theory.   In-depth, interviews and an observation checklist were used to collect data from a purposively selected sample of 31 selected schools. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire from a sample of 25 private preschool teachers, and 6 educational administrators from 31 selected schools.  Among the results of the study, include that most private pre-schools do not understand the need for implementation of inclusive education and therefore do not implement inclusive education in the schools at all. Very few schools include students with special needs in their schools denying some learners who have disabilities a chance to access education. Coupled with a lack of a consistence, and harmonized curriculum, several private pre-schools do not take the initiative to include special needs interventions in their schools. Further, most schools have no suitable infrastructure to enable the implementation of students with special needs in their school environments. Most current pre-primary schools do not have specially designed learning structures but rather use residential homes that have now been turned into schools.  While private schools are meant to complement the government's efforts and contribute toward the goals of education in Malawi, most private schools have emphasized the business model, rendering schools to ignore some of the educational outcomes for the nation.  Finally, but not least among the factors, another critical common characteristic among private pre-schools is the lack of clear application of policies in place to ensure the implementation of inclusive education. The study recommends that there is a need to step up efforts to be invest in both human and non-human resource in private preschools to ensure that inclusive education becomes a reality and that there is a propensity to contribute to the goals of education in Malawi. When properly implemented, Inclusive education has myriad benefits to the child and the nation at large. The responsibility to implement inclusive education rests in every bonafide citizen of a nation.  It is the responsibility of everyone to ensure that the schools integrate inclusive education into their school activities.