Summary:
This paper aims at reporting on an exploratory research to understand the perception of inclusion of special needs children among pupils, parents, educators and administrative staff in Lebanese schools. Lebanon places good efforts on promoting inclusive education in schools, as per legislation like Law 220/2000, emphasizing integration of disabled individuals into communities. However, schools are not mandated to accept special needs pupils, creating variability in support. Only a handful of Lebanese schools accommodate special needs pupils, mostly private institutions. Families shoulder additional costs, limiting access due to financial constraints in a country where many earned, already before 2019, less than 10,000 dollars annually. It can cost more than 100K dollars to send 2 children to school over 4 years (i.e. 12500 $ per child per year), which restricts such a service to very few. This paper focuses on the Lebanese situation but is it worth mentioning that the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region faces similar challenges, evident from data reflecting inadequate schooling for disabled children. Focus group with special needs pupils, non-special needs pupils, parents of special needs pupils, parents of non-special needs pupils, school administrative staff and educators in private and public, inclusive and non-inclusive schools. Results show that all parties demand better qualified resources, awareness, and understanding for inclusion, while divergence exists in acceptance, perceptions, and overcoming hurdles across educational settings. Further post 2019 economic crisis research is needed.
SWITCH edu-ID
Administration
