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IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN SRI LANKA

POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

The PIM Research Centre2016

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Disclaimer

The information contained in this report was compiled using information supplied by the

teachers, management and parents of selected schools, within the districts of Colombo

and Gampaha, in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. The information contained in this

report, is current as of January 2016. While all reasonable care has been taken in compiling

the information the Research Centre of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM),

its investigators and agents disclaim all liability, for any error, omission, loss, damage or

injury of whatever nature, suffered by any person or property, as a result of the information

contained in this report.

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LIST OF CONTENTS

List of Contents iii

List of Tables v

List of Figures vi

Message from Director, PIM vii

Message from Head, PIM Research Centre viii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ix

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 – 4

Background 1

Project objectives 3

Industry information 3

SENdefinition 3

Survey scope 4

Methodology 4

CHAPTER 2: SURVEY RESULTS 5 – 18 Teachers and school management demographics 6

Parent-demographics 8

Awareness of teachers and management about SEN 9

Attitude of teachers and management about SEN 12

Steps taken to support SENs in schools 15

Attitude of parents towards SEN 17

The desire to show results at competitive examination 18

CHAPTER 3: IMPLICATIONS 21 – 23 Industry implications 21

Social implications 22

Policy implications 22

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS 24 – 31 Awareness of teachers and management about SEN 24

Attitude of teachers and management about SEN 24

Steps taken to support SENs in schools 25

Attitude of parents towards SEN 26

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General Recommendation 26

Industry best practices 27

CAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 32 Limitations 32

Areas for future study 32

REFERENCES 33

Annexe 01: Survey Methodology 35

Annexe 02: Geographic Dispersion of Schools 38

Annexe 03: Parents Questionnaire with Covering Letter 40

Annexe 04: Teachers Questionnaire with Covering Letter 45

Annexe 05: Special Education Needs (SENs) considered in the survey 53

Annexe06:Definitions 60

Annexe 07: Related Regulatory Frameworks 62

Annexe08:ResearcherProfiles 67

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Types of schools represented – Composition of schools in 5

sample

Table 2: Samples collected and rejected 6

Table 3: Type of schools represented – Teachers & School Management 6

Table 4: Age range distribution of teachers and management 7

Table 5: Types of schools represented 8

Table6:Awarenessofteachersandmanagementaboutspecific 10

areas of SEN

Table7:Attitudeofteachersandmanagementaboutspecific 12

areas of SEN

Table 8: Acceptance of students with SEN symptoms by teachers 13

in a regular classroom

Table 9: Attitude of teachers and management about SENs - 13 Comparison against school type

Table 10: Steps taken to support SENs in schools 15

Table 11: Attitude of Parents towards SEN students 17

Table12:Reasonsfordifficultyofenrolmentinschools 18

Table 13: Attitude of Parents towards SEN – 19

Comparisons against school type

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Percentage of Male and Female teachers and 7 administrators surveyed

Figure 2: Experience range of teachers and management 8

Figure 3: Age-range distribution of students 9

Figure 4: Sources of SEN experience of the teachers and management 10

Figure 5: Experience with SEN students - Comparison against 11 school type

Figure6:Insufficientpreparationofteachersandeducationleadersfor 16 inclusion - Comparison against school type

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MESSAGE FROM DIRECTOR, PIM

We at the PIM are indeed delighted to present the precious findings of an industrial survey related tostudents with special educational needs (SEN). The PIM being the pioneering premier in many fronts has taken the initiative in conducting a comprehensive study,andcompilingasetofconcretefindings.

Let me commend the efforts taken by the student researchers ably guided by the PIM’s Research Centre. Conducting an industry survey involving a sample of 12,000 is by no means an easy task. The commitment

demonstrated by them with the required clarity and collaboration is a clear sign of an emerging vibrant research culture at the PIM.

Industrial surveys of this nature, consistent and compliant with applied research norms is a classic answer to the critics who often complain that research does not bring out results ofpracticalsignificance.Ihavenodoubtthatthefindingsofthissurveywillbeofutmostimportance to the policy makers as well as practitioners with regard to SEN.

It is heartening to note that by embarking on studies of this calibre, we strengthen the research “pillar” of the PIM’s edifice of excellence.Our vision is to be a centre ofmanagementexcellence in South Asia. As our mission highlights, “we ignite human imagination by producing leaders having global presence with local touch. In this endeavour, we pursue innovative teaching, cutting-edge research, enriching partnerships, inspiring sustainability and exemplary governance”. Values of the PIM, namely, Passion, Integrity and Mindfulness are shared with all, and are shown in synergistic actions.

Being the premier postgraduate management entity in Sri Lanka, the PIM’s role in research has always been results-oriented. We emphasise managerial implications of applied research, in highlighting the needed contribution towards the socio-economic upliftment of our nation. We look forward to publish many meaningful monographs of this nature from time to come.

Prof. Ajantha S. DharmasiriDirector and Chairman of the Board of Management,Postgraduate Institute of Management

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MESSAGE FROM HEAD, PIM RESEARCH CENTRE

The PIM Research Centre is dedicated to train researchers and to research in the spheres of business and public management. While research leading to new knowledge is the top priority of the PIM Research Centre, it takes applied research such as policy studies and impact studies as being of utmost importance. It is thus one of the self-assumed responsibilities of the PIM Research Centre. In this context I am happy to write a message to this monograph that reports the study that explored the special education needs of primary school children in Sri Lanka by a group of MBA students. In fact, it shows the unswerving dedication the PIM

ResearchCentrehastowardsfindingandimpartingusableknowledgetothesociety.

Thestudyembodiedinthismonographissignificantinseveralways,amongwhichtwoofthemIwouldliketomentionhere.Thefirstbeingthatitexploressociologically,economicallyand also politically the important issues revolving around the special education needs of primaryschoolchildren:agroupwhohasnothadsufficientattentionfordecadesintheSriLankan society. The second is that the study demonstrates the desire and dedication of our MBA students for ‘learning’, and their obligations to the contemporary society.

This survey is one of the largest (if not the largest) surveys undertaken by any group of studentsinthecountrythusfar.Whilethestudyfindingsindicate‘notsopositiveattitudes’that our schools hold towards this special category of students, I believe that these ‘not so positive attitudes’ towards this segment could in the least be accounted for by a lack of resources,bothhumanandphysical.Thesefindings, therefore,clearlysignal thedemandfor intervention by those responsible for children’s education. For certain, applied research deals essentially with problems that require intervention.

Further, I believe that it is worth asking those responsible for intervention, if we expect progressintheadoptionandexecutionofthefindingsofsuchappliedresearchfindings.Itwouldotherwisebeinterpretedtosaythatsuchfindingsandrevelationsareofmereacademicvalue. I firmly believe that suchfindings are catalytic.Therefore,while appreciating theefforts of those involved in this exhaustive study, I invite all those who are interested in applied research to get involved in the deliberations as it is a vital issue that needs to be brought forth for the attention of the responsible segments of the society.

Prof. J A S K JayakodyHead, PIM Research CentreAssociateProfessorinManagement&Organization

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Thisreportoutlinesthemainfindingsofasurveyconductedon‘IdentificationofSpecial

Education Needs (SENs) of Primary School Children in Sri Lanka’, by the Postgraduate

Institute of Management (PIM) in 2015.

Childrenhavespecialeducationneedsiftheyhavealearningdifficulty,whichcallsfora

specialeducationalprovisiontobemadeforthem.Alearningdifficultyis,havingagreater

difficultyinlearningthanthemajorityofchildrenofthesameage,whichpreventsorhinders

them from making use of educational facilities generally provided for children in schools.

Theprimaryfocusofthisstudyisonchildrenwithlearningdifficulties,mildtomoderate,

where suchneeds cannotbe identified throughappearance, as theydonot fall under the

‘Disabled’ umbrella.

Educational reforms in Sri Lanka during the last three decades have been concerned with

improving the quality of education, especially, making the curriculum more relevant to the

needs of the country. Sri Lanka has a near universal adult literacy rate and a high primary

school enrolment, primarily due to the free education policy and the Compulsory Education

Ordinance(ProtectionoftheRightsofPersonswithDisabilities,1996).However,despite

the provisions made, out of the 10.6% population of school-aged children with disabilities,

only 4.6% children have access to education (UNICEF, 2003). Therefore, by 2005, there

were 907 Special Education Units (SEUs) catering to SEN children in Sri Lanka (The Asian

Development Bank, 2006).

According to a report published by the European Commission in 2013, children with SENs

commonlyleaveschoolwithafewqualificationsand/orgenerallybecomeunemployedor

economically inactive. Hence, it is very important for a country to have a mechanism to

identify these children and guide them to reach their full potential, so that they will not be a

burden to the society.

Segregated educational environments are arguable, as students are educated in separate

schools. Integrated education involves relocating students into mainstream classes for

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several hours a day, based on their ability to cope with academic activities alongside their

peers in regular classrooms. Therefore, inclusive education is being discussed among school

administrators, teachers and parents as to the effect it may have on general students and

SEN students. However, most developing countries implement integrated education as an

initiative towards inclusion (UNICEF, 2003). Therefore, this investigation focuses indepth

into the process of inclusion to see whether SEN is appropriately identified in primary

schools.

Thisreportistheoutcomeofanindustrysurvey/researchconductedbyateamofresearchers

consisting of six members as a part of their MBA programme. The study population consisted

of teachers, management and parents of primary school children in the schools of Colombo

and Gampaha districts, Western Province, Sri Lanka, with the approval of the authorities. 98

schools representing the Government, Semi-government, International and Private Sectors

were covered with 12,152 questionnaires distributed. 8,284 questionnaires (6,265 parents

and 2,019 teachers) were returned giving a 68.17% response rate.

Thesurveywascarriedoutunderfourmainareasidentifiedinthespecialeducationneeds

identification process. Namely, ‘awareness of teachers and management’, ‘attitude of

teachers and management’, ‘steps taken in schools to support SEN’ and ‘attitude of parents

towards SEN’.

The survey revealed that 48% of the teachers and school managements were exposed to SEN

and 75% of those exposed got their exposure in schools they were teaching. However, 80%

of the teachers were unaware about inclusion and diversity of education. Further, 80% of the

teacherswereunawareaboutlocaland/orinternationalpoliciesoninclusion.

Another significant finding is that 80% of the teachers were not trained or qualified in

SEN. This suggests that although teachers meet children with special education needs in

their classrooms, they are unable to help them since they do not have the knowledge or the

required skills.

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Further, teachers in international schools, private schools and semi-government schools had

a higher SEN exposure level of 72% or above, while the exposure level of government

school teachers was 41%, the lowest compared to other schools.

Looking at the brighter side, 70% of the teachers expressed their willingness to undergo SEN

training. However, there was a noticeable difference between the responses of government

school teachers and the others, as only 65% of the government teachers expressed their

willingness to participate in SEN training, while the response levels of other schools were

at an average of 80%.

76% of the teachers have stated that, having SEN students in classrooms causes stress and

anxiety,and80%oftheteachersstressedthedifficultyinpayingspecialattentiontothemin

an inclusive classroom. Further, 80% of teachers stated that the level of cooperation received

from parents towards inclusive education is also very discouraging. The above concerns

were reiterated by the fact that on average, 70% of the teachers displayed a reluctance in

accepting SEN students in regular classrooms.

The responses received from 72% of the teachers, reveal that the current education system in

Sri Lanka does not have a process to identify special education needs of students. In addition,

82% further stated that they have not received any institutional assistance or training on

identifyingSENstudentsorassistingthemtoovercometheirdifficulties.

83% of the teachers stated a lack of adequate resources in their schools for SEN related

teaching. Further, 85% of the teachers agreed that the current curriculum does not provide

therequiredflexibilityfortheteacherstoguideSENstudentsinregularclassrooms.

The majority (80%) of teachers have observed that preparation of teachers and educational

leaders on inclusive education is insufficient. This view was strongly expressed by the

international school teachers with a response rate of 92 %, while the response rate of other

school teachers was at an average of 70%.

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Thesurveyrevealedthatoutof the18%ofparentswhorecordeddifficultiesinenrolling

their children to schools, 76% of them were due to the issue of SEN symptoms. This raises

the question, whether the main objective of Compulsory Education Regulation, namely;

“education for all” could actually be achieved.

Showing their perception towards SEN students, 64% of the parents said that they do not

wish their children sharing with SEN students, and 60% said that they do not want their

children to work with them either. 83% of the parents stated that the attention for the other

students will be affected when teachers are focused in providing special attention to SEN

students in a regular classroom, while 85% of the parents perceived that resources required

to teach SEN students in schools are inadequate.

52% of the parents were unaware of the existing policies. However, despite their lack of

knowledge on policies and procedures on SEN, 71% of them stated that Sri Lanka needs

policies for inclusion.

Overall,thesurveyfindingspaintedagloomypictureonSENchildreninSriLanka.The

awareness of teachers and parents about SEN was very low, and their attitude too was

negative towards supporting SEN students. Further, the education system of Sri Lanka is

not geared to identify the SEN students and to provide them with the required support they

deserve.

The above findings have several implications on the education industry, policy-making

processes, and ultimately the whole society. It is crucial for the education sector to proceed

forward with the new systems introduced to the education industry. If proper steps are not

taken to correct the deficiencies the education in Sri Lanka have, itwill reflect on poor

literacy rates and a drop in the national standards of education. From the students’ point

of view, the lack of awareness of SEN and the negative attitude towards them would lead

to teachers misunderstanding the students’ weaknesses and requirements. This would lead

to students being punished or treated with improper support. The outcome of this would

be frustration of the students who will in turn leave schools without reaching the expected

standard of education.

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Further, the requirement for better policies and procedures to monitor the implementation

andoperationalizationofthesepoliciesareimportant.Thisismainlybecausethesepolicies

will have implications. This situation may even result in malfunctioning of the policies,

biasedoperationalizationof the policies andpolicy ignorance.Theoutcomewould once

again be a lack of proper support for SEN students and their parents. This will also hinder

the growth and improvement of schools towards inclusion and alignment with international

education trends. Therefore, programmes should be designed to make the teachers aware

of the policies. The programme should not be limited to a circular, but a more rigorous

approach with support for implementation provided.

Thefindingsalsohighlighted the importanceofSEN training that shouldbeprovided to

teachersandmanagementsonidentifyingandsupportingSENstudents.Onceagain,there

would be industrial, social and policy implications that would result in a failure of all areas

mentioned. A lack of acceptance of SEN students will lead to frustration among parents

of SEN students, and SEN students themselves when they are unable to be independent

adults. This will be a societal burden to support, with the net income of the country dropping

and the development getting disturbed. Therefore, it is recommended that a successful and

uniformidentificationprocessisimplementedwithprofessionalsupportwherevernecessary.

However, this process should be monitored regularly to improve the evaluation process.

Providing SEN training as amodule to all teachers in their training programmes and/or

qualificationsisalsoarecommendationtheresearchersmade.Itshouldbemadecompulsory,

especially for teachers at the primary level, to undergo SEN training in identification,

teaching methodology and supporting SEN students. Secondary school teachers also should

be given training especially in supporting SEN student and in teaching methodology.

Recognition schemes for teachers and management, grievance handling procedure for

teachers and parents, recognitions for schools and public awareness campaigns are also

recommendations to be considered for inclusion.

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Thissurveyrevealedthatthefourareastestedfor‘IdentificationofSENinprimaryschools

in Sri Lanka’, namely, ‘awareness of teachers and management’, ‘attitude of teachers and

management’,‘stepstakeninschoolsforSENidentification’and‘attitudeofparentstowards

SEN’, were at a very low level. It is, therefore, evident that there isn’t a formal mechanism to

identify SEN students in Sri Lanka that needs to be addressed at a macro-level in the school

education system.

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INTRODUCTION

Background

Thisreportpresentsthekeyfindingsfromthesurveyon“IdentificationofSpecialEducation

Needs (SENs) of Primary School Children in Sri Lanka”, and the background of the study

and its execution.

SEN is an area with only a few studies being carried out by the Sri Lankan government

agenciesandNGOs.Thosewhichweredonealsohadaverybroadscope.Hence,thissurvey

iscarriedoutasthefinalprojectinfulfillingarequirementoftheMBAprogrammeofthe

Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura, with the

intention of contributing towards improving the lives of children with special education

needs in Sri Lanka.

Childrenwouldrequirespecialeducationneedsiftheyhavealearningdifficulty,asitcalls

foraspecialeducationalprovisiontobemadeforthem.Alearningdifficultyis,havinga

greaterdifficultyinlearningthanthemajorityofchildrenofthesameage.Suchdifficulties

prevent or hinder them from making use of educational facilities generally provided for

childreninschools.Themainfocusofthisstudyisonchildrenwithlearningdifficulties,

mildtomoderate,wheresuchneedscannotbeidentifiedthroughappearanceastheydonot

fall under the ‘Disabled’ umbrella.

Young children, who are affected by biological, environmental and psychological conditions,

resulting in limited intellectual development world over, are approximated to be 800 million.

The latest estimates indicate that there are nearly 15 million children in Europe alone, who

require Special Education Needs (The European Commission, 2013).

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As cited by Chandrarathne (2007), according to the UNICEF, 10% of the young generation

intheSouthAsianregionislikelytohavesomekindofdisability.OneoutofteninIndia,

Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are estimated to be disabled. The estimates state

that approximately 20-25 percent of children call for special needs, and these children will

suffer due to the lack of understanding of their needs. Further, these children will not be

included in the money-making process in the national economy. It is not that they cannot

work but because of the attitude towards them being very discriminative. Therefore, these

childrendropoutfromschoolswithlowerqualificationsandabilities.

When considering Sri Lanka, missionaries and charitable groups in the early twentieth

century took initiatives for the welfare of disabled people in the country. The provision of

education for children with SENs through an institutional system can be traced back to 1912.

Despite the initiatives taken to address this particular area, availability of literature on SENs

intheSriLankancontextisinsignificant.

The current legal framework with regard to SEN in Sri Lanka comprises of the Compulsory

EducationOrdinance,theNationalPolicyonDisability2003,theNationalActionPlanfor

Disability Final Draft 2013, and the Salamanca Statement 1994. The Ministry of Education,

whose responsibility is to improve the standards of special needs provision across Sri Lanka

by encouraging collaboration and knowledge exchange, predominantly supports the aims

of Sri Lankan policy makers in this area at an institutional level. Although the concept of

inclusive education has secured a prominent position in the political agenda, advancement

towards this goal remains incomplete. Efforts to support children with SENs at a national

level through the exchange of best practices and mutual learning are undermined by the

nonexistence of data and comparable data on the prevalence of SEN. This is coupled with

a relative lack of formal evaluations of policy initiatives in this area, and of comprehensive

information on the nature of support mechanisms accessible to children with SENs and

their families. In these circumstances, a better overview of the variations in national laws

supporting SENs provision is very much desired.

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Project objectives

Thissurveywascarriedoutwiththeintentionofachievingfourmainobjectives.Thefirst

objectivewastounderstandhoweducationistsconceptualizethetermSENinthecontext

of schooling in Sri Lanka. The second objective was to understand the attitudinal impact

of inclusive education as opposed to segregated and integrated schooling from the point of

view of the respondents. The third objective was to understand the prevalence of a common

framework and themonitoring system in Sri Lanka. The final objectivewas to provide

informationtopolicymakersandauthoritiesonthecurrentstatusofidentificationofSENs

and related factors in Sri Lanka in order to take necessary action.

Industry information

Education in Sri Lanka is predominantly a state-run venture. At present, there are 10,973

schools in Sri Lanka. This is inclusive of 3,559 Primary schools and 103 Private and Special

schools (excluding international schools that are registered under the Companies Act). The

total number of students exceed 4.3 million whilst the total number of teachers are 249,024.

New admissions have been 339,554with the student/teacher ratio at 18 for government

schools, 11 for international schools and 15 for other schools. The primary Net Enrolment

Ratio in 2013 was 98.45% (Central Bank Annual Report, 2014). A segment of private

schools that have come up are designated as International Schools that impart education in

the medium of English.

SEN definition

The term‘specialeducationalneeds’ refer tochildrenwhohave learningdifficulties that

make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. Many children will have

special needs of some kind at some time during their education (Department for Education

and Skills, 2001). Help is usually provided in their ordinary school, sometimes with the help

of specialists. If a child has a special educational need, they may need extra help in different

areas. For example: schoolwork, reading, writing, work with numbers, understanding

information, expressing themselves, understanding what others are saying, making friends,

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relationswithadults,behaviourinschool,organizingthemselvesandsensoryorphysical

needs which may affect them in school.

Survey scope

This survey was conducted among the schools in the districts of Colombo and Gampaha,

Western Province, Sri Lanka. The said districts have the highest population density in the

country.Thestudywaslimitedtofourbroadfactors,whichwereidentifiedafterreviewing

thesecondarydata.ItmaynotcoverallthefactorsthatmightaffectidentificationofSENin

the Sri Lankan education system.

Methodology

The study population consisted of teachers, management and parents of students in schools of

the Colombo and Gampaha districts of the Western Province, Sri Lanka. A set of tailor-made

questionnaires were used as the primary tool in obtaining responses from the participants. A

research team consisting of six members conducted the survey. They were further divided

into three teams comprising of two members in each. All three teams distributed a total

of 12,152 questionnaires amongst 98 schools. Appendix 01 of this report provides further

information on the methodology of the survey.

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SURVEY RESULTS

Thedemographics of the respondents and the surveyfindingsderived through analysing

responses received from the questionnaires are presented in this section.

The current education system in Sri Lanka is dominated by government schools, which

provide free education. The other schools namely, international, private and semi-

government schools, are infact, fee-leving schools. Hence, the sample of schools for the

survey was selected proportionately to represent the population. The composition of the

sample of schools is given in Table 1.

Table 1: Types of schools represented – Composition of schools in sample

Parameter Government Private International Semi-Government

Frequency 82 7 6 3

Percentage 83.67 7.14 6.12 3.06

Source: Survey Data

The sample of schools consisted of 82 government schools, 07 private schools, 06 international

schools and 03 semi-government schools (Table 1). A total of 12,152 questionnaires were

distributed among 9,181 parents and 2,971 teachers and managements of schools (Table 2).

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Table 2: Samples collected and rejected

Questionnaire Type

Distributed Collected Rejected Response percentage

Parents 9,181 6,265 1,253 68.24

Teachers 2,971 2,019 309 67.96

Total 12,152 8,284 1,562 68.17

Source: Survey Data

Altogether, 8,284 questionnaires were collected. 6,265 were from parents, 2,019 from

teachersandmanagement leadingtoanoverall responserateof68.17%. Of these1,562

questionnaireswererejectedastheylackedsufficientdataaswellascredibility,asshowen

in Table 2.

Teachers and school management demographics

The demographics of the teachers and school management who participated in the survey

are presented below.

Table 3: Type of schools represented – Teachers & School Management

Parameter Government Private International Semi-Government

Frequency 1,349 207 104 50

Percentage (%) 78.88 12.11 6.09 2.92

Source: Survey Data

Teachers of government schools and school managements represented 78.88% of the

total effective sample. The balance 21.12% was represented by participants of private,

international and semi-government schools (Table 3).

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Figure 1: Percentage of Male and Female teachers and administrators surveyed

The majority (81.40%) of teachers and school managements who participated in the survey

were females as shown in Figure 1. A report published by the UNICEF in 2013, stated that

71.2%of the teachers inSriLankawerewomenconfirmingthemajorityparticipationof

females as shown in Figure 1.

Table 4: Age range distribution of teachers and management

Age Range (Years) 18 to 25 26 to 33 34 to 41 42 to 49 50 to 60

Frequency 116 400 462 368 364

Percentage (%) 6.78 23.39 27.02 21.52 21.29

Source: Survey Data

The age of teachers who participated in the survey ranged from 18 years to 60 years. The

highest participation (27.02%) was from the age range of 34 to 41 years, as shown in Table

4.

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Figure 2: Experience range of teachers and management

Source: Survey Data

20.05% of teachers and school managements who participated in the survey had a maximum

of 4 years of experience and 19.99% of them stated that they had 10 – 14 years of experience.

Only6.78%oftherespondentshadover30yearsofexperienceintheprofessionofteaching,

as shown in Figure 2.

Parent-demographics

The demographics of the parents who participated in the survey are presented below.

Table 5: Types of schools represented

Parameter Government Private International Semi-Government

Frequency 4,057 282 463 211

Percentage (%) 80.93 5.63 9.24 4.20

Source: Survey Data

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A majority (80.93%) of parents who participated in the survey had their children attending

government schools and 19.07% attended other schools, as shown in Table 5.

Figure 3: Age-range distribution of students

Source: Survey Data

The study mainly focused on the parents of primary school children. 65% of the parents who

responded had children in the age range of 6 to 11 years. The balance 35% were parents of

students who were in the age group of 12-19 years, as shown in Figure 3.

Awareness of teachers and management about SEN

Awareness of teachers and management about SEN was considered as a key factor in

identifying special education needs in children. The exposure and the experience of the

teachers regarding SEN, their knowledge about relevant policies and procedures were tested

under this factor.

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Table 6: Awareness of teachers and management about specific areas of SEN

Factor Yes No

Experience with SEN students 48.13% 51.87%

TrainedorqualifiedinSEN 21.11% 78.89%

Awareness of Sri Lankan policies 20.12% 79.88%

Awareness of inclusion and diversity 19.94% 80.06%

Source: Survey Data

The survey revealed that 79.88% of teachers who participated in the survey were unaware

of the policies related to SEN, and 80.06% of the teachers were unaware of diversity and

inclusionintheeducationsystem(Table6).Thisisacriticalfinding,sinceitsuggeststhat

relevant policies are not executed as intended due to a lack of awareness among teachers

who are directly responsible in executing policies and procedures.

Figure 4: Sources of SEN experience of the teachers and management

Source: Survey Data

The survey also revealed that 48.13% of the teachers who participated in the survey

were experienced and/or exposed to SEN (Table 6). 75.11% of these respondents had

their experience in school (Figure 4). Surprisingly, 78.89% of teachers were untrained or

unqualifiedinSEN(Table6),althoughtheyareexpectedtoteachthesestudentsdaily.

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However, it should be noted that the exposure mentioned above is mainly from the students

who were identified by the teachers through their existing knowledge and experience.

Therefore, there may be other students who have special education needs that have not been

identifiedbyschools.

Figure 5: Experience with SEN students - Comparison against school type

Source: Survey Data

Compared to government schools, international, private and semi-government schools show

a high level of awareness regarding SENs (Figure 5). The teachers of government schools

only had a 41.36% exposure level towards SEN as opposed to 75.96% in international

schools, 72.46% in private schools and 72.00% in semi-government schools. Some teachers

and school management who participated in the survey have provided qualitative feedback

suggestingthatgovernmentschoolsarebackwardinenrollingSENstudents.Itreflectsthat

a higher number of SEN students are admitted to non-government schools, increasing their

exposure towards SEN.

The survey results revealed that the awareness of the teachers and management about SEN

was very low. The teachers did not possess the basic understanding about SEN and the

applicablepoliciesandproceduresthatarevitalforidentificationofSENsinchildrenand

required skills to guide them.

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Attitude of teachers and management about SEN

Attitude of teachers and management about SEN is equally important as their awareness of

SEN, when identifying special education needs in children. This section presents the main

findings regarding the attitude of teachers and schoolmanagement gathered through the

questionnaire. Their desire to undergo SEN training, willingness to accept students with

SENsymptomsintheclassroomandtheself-confidencetheypossessedinhandlingSEN

students were tested.

Table 7: Attitude of teachers and management about specific areas of SEN

Description Yes (%) No (%)

Willingness for SEN training 65.91 34.09

Will cause stress and anxiety to the teacher 76.08 23.92

Can give special attention to SEN students 18.48 81.52

Parents are cooperative towards SEN 21.81 78.19

Source: Survey Data

It was encouraging to see that 65.91% of the respondents who participated in the survey

werewillingtoundergoSENtraining(Table7).Thisbecomesaverycrucialfindingbecause

theprevioussection,thatdiscussedtheawarenessofSENamongteachers,emphasizedthat

mostoftheteacherswerenottrainedorqualifiedinSEN.

However, most of the participants (76.08%) have said that having SEN students in

classroomscausesstressandanxietytotheteacher.81.52%statedthatitisdifficulttogive

special attention to SEN students in a regular classroom in an inclusive education system.

Furthermore, 78.19% of the teachers and school management expressed that the support

from parents towards inclusion is unfavourable (Table 7).

– 13 –

Table 8: Acceptance of students with SEN symptoms by teachers in a regular class-room

Symptom Accepted (%) Unaccepted (%)

Physically aggressive towards peers 32.16 67.84

Difficultyinsustainingattentioninclassroom 23.74 76.26

Difficultyinspeech 25.96 74.04

Difficultyinfollowingschoolrules 44.74 55.26

Difficultyinexpressingtheirthoughts 45.20 54.80

Average 34.36 65.64

Source: Survey Data

The survey also questioned the willingness of teachers and school management to accept

students with SENs, in order to understand their attitudes towards inclusion and SEN

students.Physicalaggressivenesstowardspeers,difficultyinmaintainingattention,difficulty

inexpressingtheirthoughtsanddifficultyinfollowingschoolrulesaresomeofthecommon

symptoms among SEN students. With the responses received, on average 65.64% of the

respondents were not willing to accept students with these symptoms in regular classrooms

(Table 8).

Table 9: Attitude of teachers and management about SENs - Comparison against school type

Item Government International Private Semi-Gov.

Y% N% Y% N% Y% N% Y% N%

Willingness for SEN training

62.5 37.5 81.7 18.3 76.3 23.7 82.0 18.0

Able to cope with SEN students

32.2 67.8 20.2 79.8 18.4 81.6 38.0 62.0

Cooperation of parents forSENisinsufficient

76.2 23.8 91.3 8.7 85.0 15.0 76.0 24.0

Source: Survey Data

Note: Y – Yes; N – No

– 14 –

The responses of the teachers and school management based on the type of school were

compared against each other in order to understand the differences in their attitudes.

According to the comparison, it was evident that the government teachers (62.5%) were more

reluctant towards SEN training compared to the teachers of non-government schools (semi-

government: 82%, international: 81.7%, private: 76.3%) (Table 9). Based on the survey

information, a possible reason for the above could be their lack of exposure to SEN students

incomparisontonon-governmentalteachers(Figure5).Therefore,thisfindingemphasizes

the possible build-up of the attitude of the government teachers and administrators to be of a

lower level of positivity towards SEN.

Further,totheabovefinding,thereisasignificantdifferencebetweentheperceptionsabout

coping with SEN children between ‘government and semi-government’ and ‘international

and private’ school teachers and administrators. The government and semi-government

teachers perceive that they will be able to cope with SEN students, while international and

private school teachers and administrators perceive that it would be hard to cope (Table 9).

This is mainly because the international and private school teachers have more practical

exposureworkingwithSENstudents,evenwithoutSENqualificationsandtraining.

With the responses of the teachers, there is a higher level of cooperation from the parents of

international and private schools compared to the government and semi-government schools.

91.3% of the parents of the international schools and 85.0% of the private schools are

supportive towards inclusive education compared to the parents of government (76.2%) and

semi-government (76%) schools (Table 9). The parents are reluctant to share the classroom

with SEN students, as they believe that the teachers will not be able to provide the attention

requiredfor theirhighperformingchildren.Thissignifiesthecurrent trendinthesociety

where parents are intensively focused on the performance of their children at national level

examination at the expense of moral obligations.

The findings suggest the attitudes that teachers and management possessed is negative

towards inclusion and SEN students. Therefore, it is clear that negativity was mainly due

to the lackofparental-supportand the lackofself-confidence inhandlingSENstudents.

However, the findings did point at the willingness towards formal SEN training of the

– 15 –

teachers as a positive attitude. Hence, a streak of positivity entangled with a high negativity

is a clear observation.

Steps taken to support SENs in schools

The Ministry of Education (MoE) is the governing body who sets standards and procedures

fortheeducationsysteminSriLanka.Thestandardsandregulationsareoperationalizedby

theprovincial,divisional,andzonaloffices throughschools.Therefore, thequestionnaire

focused on obtaining feedback on effective resource availability, curriculum flexibility,

preparationofresponsibleofficer,training/assistanceprovidedwithregardtoidentification

of SENs.

Table 10: Steps taken to support SENs in schools

Description Disagree Agree

Inadequate resources on teaching SEN students has an effect 17.3% 82.7%

Curriculumisinflexibleforinclusion 16.0% 84.0%

Preparation of teachers and education leaders for inclusion is insufficient

21.0% 79.0%

SENidentificationprocessisavailableinschool 72.0% 28.0%

Institutionalassistance/trainingonSENisprovided 81.3% 18.7%

Source: Survey Data

AsignificantfindingofthissurveywasthatthecurrenteducationsysteminSriLankadoes

not have a process to identify special education needs of students. This fact was stated

by 72% of the respondents (Table 10). 81.3% went on further to say that they have not

received any institutional assistance or training on teaching or supporting SEN students. The

respondents who responded positively for training and assistance received from institutions

stated that they obtained it personally or as special training that was only provided under

special provisions or for selected candidates.

The survey revealed that 82.7% has stated that they do not possess adequate resources

required to support SEN students that would make their teaching methods effective. Further,

– 16 –

84%agreedthatthecurriculumdidnotprovidetheflexibilityfortheteacherstoteachSEN

students in a regular classroom. This suggests that the teachers do not feel that the curriculum

can support the existing regulations. This result is not surprising as the teachers are expected

tofinish the syllabuswithin a given period, to support regular students to be able to sit

theNational/International examinations.Therefore, the tendency is that the teachers and

management would focus on the student who will be sitting this National/International

examinations and pay more attention to their requirements. Furthermore, the curriculum

cannot be changed or relaxed to suit the needs of the SEN students who may not be in a

position to reach the national level standards.

Figure 6: Insufficient preparation of teachers and education leaders for inclusion - Comparison against school type

Source: Survey Data

The general majority (79%) of teachers have agreed that the preparation on inclusive

educationofteachersandeducationleadersisinsufficient(Table10).However,thereisa

significantdifferencebetweentheopinionoftheinternationalschoolsandothersschools,

with 91.4% of the international school teachers stating that teachers and education leaders

need more preparation on inclusive education, while the others were at an average of 70%

(Figure6).GiventheirexposuretoSEN,theanswerconfirmstheviewexpressedbyother

school teachers. Therefore, it is due to the level of exposure and experience with SEN that

the international schools possess in comparison to the other schools. Hence, they see the

– 17 –

requirement of better preparation for an effective teaching system. However, this survey did

nottesttheactualdefinitionofpreparationthatmayreflectwiththeoperationalizationofthe

schools in different sectors.

The above findings highlight the insufficiency of infrastructure required for successful

implementationofinclusion.Thelackofaformalidentificationprocess,theinflexibilityof

thecurriculum,inadequatepreparationofindustryleadershipandtheinsufficientinstitutional

assistance are the main contributing factors that need to be addressed with immediate effect

tofacilitatetheSENidentificationprocess.

Attitude of parents towards SEN

Theattitudeofparentshasamajorinfluenceonthespecialneedsidentificationprocessas

thefirstfewyearsofachildisspentundertheircare.Further,theattitudeoftheparentscan

be a representation of the attitude of the whole society.

Table 11: Attitude of Parents towards SEN students

Question Yes (%) No (%)

Experienceddifficultyofenrollingstudentsinschool 17.7 82.3

Awareness of Sri Lankan SENs policies 47.9 52.1

Sri Lanka needs policies on SEN 70.5 29.5

Likes to share the classroom with SEN students 35.7 64.3

Wants children to work with SEN students 42.1 57.9

DifficulttoprovidespecialattentiontoSENstudents 82.6 17.4

Adequate resources are available for SEN students in schools 15.0 85.0

Source: Survey Data

17.7%oftheparentshashadsomedifficultywhenenrollingtheirchildrentoschools(Table

11)and76.05%ofthemhaddifficultyduetoSENsymptom/sdisplayedbytheirchild(Table

12).

– 18 –

Table 12: Reasons for difficulty of enrolment in schools

Reasons for difficulty in enrolling Frequency % From total responses

Development delay 109 2.17

Emotional 69 1.38

Learning 372 7.42

Physical 46 0.92

Speech 77 1.54

Total 673 13.43

Difficultyinenrollingthechild 885 76.05

Source: Survey Data

This raises a concern regarding the enrolment process in the Sri Lankan schools because the

compulsory education regulations cited below state that every child has a right to education.

“...the complete eradication of illiteracy and the assurance to all persons of the

right to universal and equal access to education at all levels” (The Constitution

of Sri Lanka, Article 27)

The desire to show results at competitive examination

A possible reason for reluctance of some schools to accept SEN students seems to be

their belief that having SEN students in their school might affect their pass rates. Highly

competitive schools are focused towards selecting the high performing students and

educating them.Hence, theirselectionprocessesaredesigned tofilterstudentswithhigh

skilllevels.Studentswhohavelearningdifficultieswillnotbeabletoenteraschoolthrough

such a selection process.

The survey further reveals that 52.1% for the parents were unaware about the existing

policies for inclusion in Sri Lanka. However, 70.5% of them agreed that Sri Lanka needs

policies for inclusion (Table 11).

– 19 –

Alarmingly, most (64.3%) of the parents did not prefer to share the classroom with SEN

students, while 57.9% stated they that did not want their children to work with SEN children

(Table 11). This attitude of parents towards SEN rings a bell of concern with the growing

expectations of the world and national policies to encourage inclusion. However, this may be

duetothenextfindingwithmostrespondingparents(82.6%)statingthatprovidingattention

toallstudentswouldbedifficultwhenteachersarefocusedonprovidingspecialattention

to SEN students in a regular classroom. This is because they perceive that the resources are

inadequate (85.0%) to teach SEN students in schools (Table 11).

Table 13: Attitude of Parents towards SEN – Comparisons against school type

Item Government International Private Semi-Gov.

Y% N% Y% N% Y% N% Y% N%

Cooperation of parents forSENisinsufficient

65.7 34.3 78.8 21.2 78.4 21.6 90.5 9.5

Accept students lacking daily living skills in regular schools

25.0 75.0 36.5 63.5 35.5 64.5 47.9 52.1

SEN students should be in general schools

37.9 62.1 51.6 48.4 53.9 46.1 61.6 38.4

Source: Survey Data

Note: Y – Yes; N–No

Most parents agreed that the cooperation of parents’ towards a class with SEN students

wasinsufficient.Thiswasverystronglysupportedbyparentsofsemi-governmentschools

with 90.5% (Table 13) in agreement, whilst a lesser level of agreement was seen among

parents of both international and private schools (78.8% and 78.4% respectively). Parents of

governmentschoolswerethemost(34.3%)whodisagreedwiththeinsufficiencyofparents’

involvement towards a class with SEN students. Therefore, the perceived support towards

inclusion among parents of government schools is far more than that of the other schools.

However, the teachers (Table 6) see this differently.

– 20 –

The parents expressed their negative attitude towards having SEN students, and in their

perception of managing them in regular schools. Parents of government schools were seen

least agreeing (25%), whilst parents of both international and private schools agreed at

36.5% and 35.5% respectively (Table 13) towards students who lacked daily living skills.

However, agreeability of parents’ (47.9%) of semi-government schools was highest amongst

school types towards students lacking daily living skills.

A majority of parents (62.1%) in government schools rejected the concept of inclusion,

indicating that SEN students should be in separate schools as opposed to 61.6% of parents

in semi-government schools, perceiving that these students should be educated in general

schools (Table 13). Nearly half of the parents in international schools and private schools

(48.4% and 46.1% respectively) expressed that SEN students should be educated in special

schools.

Thefindingsofparents’attitudesuggestthattheylackawarenessofthepolicies,procedures,

exposure and experience. However, there were mixed expressions due to the curriculum

requirements and the expectations they had for their children. The survey of the parents

clearly points at the attitude that the society has on SEN students, which is not positive.

Therefore,itisobviousthattheidentificationprocessismoderatedbythesocietalattitude.

– 21 –

IMPLICATIONS

The survey findings point out implications in a few aspects. The implications for the

education industry, to the society and the policy makers are discussed in this section.

Industry implications

The purpose of education is to develop a person from where he is to an enhanced state

wherehecanliveafulfillinglife,contributingtothedevelopmentofthesociety.Inclusive

education as defined by Booth (2000) is ‘the process of increasing participation and

decreasing exclusion from the culture, curriculum and community of mainstream schools’.

However,accordingtothefindingsofthesurveytheseexpectationsofeducationarenotmet

duetomanydifferentreasonsasobserved.Alackofexposureandqualifiedstaffespecially

for SEN education means that the children with SEN will not be getting the required support

from the current education system. Therefore, they will be left behind in reaching the

required levels of education, and the expectations of the society.

The industry standards would also drop to a level where the outcome would be that the

students passing out would not have the required standards or expectations to take the

country forward or to carry out responsibilities and duties cast on them. Further, this means

that the National Education Standards would not move forward with the world education

trends. Therefore, it is understood that to move forward in education, it is necessary for the

education industry to look at the possibilities of improvement and change.

– 22 –

Social implications

Children in a classroom expect positive motivation and encouragement from the teacher to

move forward, and to be successful in their work. This is the same for any child whether he

is a SEN student or not. Therefore, the same thoughts of being successful in the classroom

encouragesstudentswithdifficultiestomoveforwardtowardsbeingsuccessfulpeoplewith

good life skills. The lack of proper education for these students would mean that the burden,

resulting from a lack of guidance as expected by the teachers, would fall heavily on the

shoulders of the family and the society as a whole. This would results in more unemployed

citizensinthecountry.

Lack of acceptance of SENs will also continue to build a negative attitude in the society on

SEN students that would make them backward socially. Extreme poverty, low literacy rates

andlackofsocialmobilityarealsosocialimplicationsthatlackofproperSENidentification

wouldcause.Therefore,itisimportanttounderstandtheimplicationsthatidentificationhas

on the society as a whole to develop as a nation.

Policy implications

The lack of awareness of the policies nationally and internationally is a concern. This

meanstheoperationalizationoftheeducationsystemwillnotbeeffectiveduetoalackof

awareness. The policy expectations and requirements, therefore, will not be met. Hence, the

policies will only be in existence for the mere sake of policies and legislations – inactive.

Resultantly,thebenefitsthepoliciesaremeanttoprovidewillnotreachthoseinneedorthe

society.

An overwhelming majority of parents not having the knowledge of proper rehabilitation

procedures is a clear indication of the general lack of public awareness about learning

difficulties.Italsohighlightsthefactthatalackofrelevantsupportprofessionalstoassists

parents in their rehabilitation efforts, will also not be effective due to their lack of awareness.

Policiesareinitiatedtoprovidethebenefitstothosewhoneedthem,andtoseethatthere

are proper procedures in place. Education policies therefore, are implemented mainly to

– 23 –

provide compulsory education for children between 5 to 14 years of age. However, if the

educationists and the public do not know these policies, it means that they are not being

adhered to. The result would be that most children may not have the privilege to received

the desired education. Finally, it would result in implications to society and the industry as a

whole, as they are linked to each other.

– 24 –

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following section provides recommendations to address the concerns raised through

thesurveyfindingsfortheconsiderationoftheindustryleaders,policymakersandrelated

authorities. The recommendations are provided for each of the four areas focused in the

surveythatwouldultimatelyhelpallchildrenwithspecialeducationneedstobeidentified

within the education system in Sri Lanka.

Awareness of teachers and management about SEN

a) Introduce a policy enforcement mechanism

The authorities should make necessary arrangements to introduce a policy enforcement

mechanism. The first step towards this requirement would be making the teachers and

school administrators aware of the existing local and international policies, legislations and

procedures related to special education needs through specially designed programmes and

workshops. The policy should not be limited to a circular, but a more rigorous approach

should be used where information is disseminated through seminars and workshops. This

wouldhelptheteachersandschoolmanagementobtainclarificationsonimplementingthe

policies and procedures. Awareness workshops should be conducted regularly in order

to keep them updated on the industry trends. This will support in operationalizing the

legislations. Proper procedures should also be implemented to monitor that these legislations

are followed as intended.

Attitude of teachers and management about SEN

b) Provide SEN training to all teachers and school management

Provide SEN training to all teachers and school management as a module in their training

programmes and/or qualifications. It should be made compulsory for primary teachers

– 25 –

to undergo a SEN training on identification, teachingmethodology and supporting SEN

students. Secondary school teachers should be given training especially on supporting SEN

students and teaching methodology. Further, these training programmes should be carried

out continuously. Trained professionals such as Education Psychologists should conduct

training programmes, so that the real psychological and social status of SEN students can

be explained in an effective and informative manner to teachers and the management.

The management should also be given training on identification and understanding the

SEN student without being judgmental towards them. Therefore, a programme should

be developed to address the attitudes of teachers and school management regarding SEN

students.

Steps taken to support SENs in schools

c) Introduce a standard SEN identification process

IntroduceastandardSENidentificationprocesswhenadministeringstudentsinallschools.

Aprocessofidentificationshouldbeputinplacesothattheschoolswillhaveauniform

methodofidentification.Thisprocessshouldbemadetransparenttoallowtheparentsto

feel comfortable. The parents should be made aware that their children are not ‘disabled’,

but have areas that need specific support to normalize their deviation and to correct it.

Relevantofficersshouldbetrainedonthemethodologyandrequiredcompetencies/skills.

Qualificationstooshouldbedefinedforsuchjobroles.Inaddition,thisprocessshoulddirect

parents to proper professionals. Therefore, an index of qualified professionals should be

made available to all schools. Having an Educational Psychologist at the annual medical

camps held at schools will also support teachers and school management to identify late

symptomsofthestudentswhoarenotidentifiedinitiallyintheadmissionprocess.

d) Implement a monitoring system

Introduce proper procedures to monitor the improvement of identified SEN students.

Improvement plans and evaluation procedures for SEN students should be documented.

These should be shared with the parents as a special report at the end of each academic term,

along with the school progress report card. This process should be a collaborative effort of

teachers, management and parents where concerns of all parties are gathered through a 360°

– 26 –

feedbackprocess.ThiswillminimizethetendencyofteachersaimlesslykeepingtheSEN

studentsoccupiedwithoutprogress.Further,considerprovidingaprizeattheannualprize

giving for the ‘most persevering student’ and the ‘most committed teacher’ to encourage the

students, their parents and the teachers.

e) Implement a recognition scheme

The authorities should take necessary steps to motivate school management and teachers

for successful implementation of the SEN identification process throughout the country.

A recognition scheme should be introduced at national/provincial level to encourage

administrators in enrolling SEN students, and a monetary incentive scheme should be

implemented at school level to encourage teachers to support SEN students. Further, a

certificateofrecognitioncouldalsobeawardedtoteachersandmanagementfortheirefforts

of improving SEN students annually.

Attitude of parents towards SEN

f) Campaigns to increase public awareness

Itwasevidentthroughthefindingsthatteachers,schoolmanagementandparentsasawhole

werenotawareaboutSEN.Alackofknowledgeistherootcauseformanydeficienciesin

any system. Hence, it is very important to educate the society on this subject to obtain their

cooperation to support SEN students. Public awareness campaigns should be carried out

with the support of the Ministry of Social Services and the Ministry of Women and Child

Affairs to make the public aware of SEN, how to identify and on ways of getting proper

support.AwarenesscampaignsshouldalsoemphasizetheSENfacilitiesavailable,andthe

rights they possess legally. This should also highlight the fact that these children are not

‘DISABLED’.

General Recommendation

g) Implementing a grievance handling procedure

Grievance handling procedures should be introduced to address operational issues that may

arise.TheZonalEducationofficesshouldbeempoweredtohandleanydeviationsfromthe

regulations and procedures set.

– 27 –

Industry best practices

Compared to Sri Lanka, other countries have more developed and established systems with

regard to managing Special Education Needs. Benchmarking our processes and procedures

againstthoseprovenpracticeswillhelpusminimizethelearningcurve.Examplesofsome

of these practices are given below:

Special education needs in Australia

Special needs education in Australia has an inclusive approach, where a child attends a

general school, whenever possible (“Special Needs Education in Australia”, n.d.). Education

providers are required by law to make reasonable adjustments to allow a student with

disabilities to be educated on the same basis as other students.

Special education is delivered in several ways:

• Inregularclassroomswithamodifiedcurriculumoradditionalteachingsupport

• Specialsmallclasseswithinaregularschool

• Placementinaspecialschool

Further support to make learning easier is also available. This can include help with transport,

buildingmodificationsandextra technology.Theneedsofeachchildaswellas thoseof

other children who may be affected are taken into consideration.

Enrolment of a child with special needs in an Australian school is done through a process of

consultation.Parentsofachildwithspeciallearningneedsshouldfirstcontacttheprincipal

of the school they would like their child to attend. Schools must consult with the student to

understand their needs and to assess what, if any, adjustments need to be made. Consultations

should include:

• Identification of the needs of the student. The studentmust providemedical and

therapist reports that outline their disability and any adjustments needed

• Adiscussionofwaysthat theschoolcouldovercomeanybarriers tothestudent’s

education

• Adiscussionofwhethertheseadjustmentsarereasonable

– 28 –

Theschoolshouldprovidewrittenconfirmationofeverythingdiscussedintheconsultation.

A date should be given as to when the school will notify the student of what adjustments will

or will not be made.

Any disability will be assessed against a set of Disability Criteria. Each state or territory has

itsownlist.Onceastudentstartsattendingtheschooltheirprogressshouldbemonitored

through regular meetings. Records of these should be maintained.

Special education needs in Germany

In Germany (“Germany - Teacher training - basic and specialist teacher training”, n.d.),

teachers of special education receive their training via:

• Abasiccourseofstudy:itispossibletostudyspecialneedseducationattheuniversity

as part of initial training by passing the First and Second State Examination. This

is basically divided into two stages: a course of higher education and practical

pedagogical training; or

• Anadditionalfollow-upcourseofstudysubsequenttootherteachertrainingcourses.

The two forms of training exist side-by-side or as alternatives. The standard period of study

forafirstcourseofstudyisninesemesters.Thecourseincludesthestudyofeducational

science and subject-related studies in at least one or two subject areas and in special

education. About half of the course is devoted to the study of special education, while the

other half is devoted to educational science and subject-related studies at an approximate

ratio of 2:3. Didactic studies and teaching practices are an integral part of the course. In some

programmes it is compulsory to do a course in the teaching area of inclusion.

Student teachers select two of the following subject areas relating to special education, the

weightage of which can vary in the course of study and examinations:

• educationfortheblind

• educationforthedeaf

• educationforthosewithintellectualdisabilities

– 29 –

• educationforthosewithphysicaldisabilities

• educationforthosewithlearningdifficulties

• educationforthosewithhearingimpairment

• educationforthosewithvisualimpairment

• educationforthosewithspeechdefects

• educationforthosewithbehaviouralproblems

In Bavaria a long-standing tradition of taking a family-centred approach to early childhood

intervention is in existence. Parents get actively involved in all decisions related to their

child, and may also receive parental training and counselling, and take part in child-focused

sessions as an addition (EADSNE, 2010).

Special education needs in the USA

In the USA it is the obligation of public schools to offer students with special needs the help

they need, and the parents have a right to get involved, and advocate for their children (“How

does the special education system work in the United States?”, n.d.).

Hence, within the education system of the U.S., all parents, regardless of the language they

speak, immigration status, or origin, has the right to actively participate in the educational

process of their children. In addition:

• Schoolsmustinformparentsoftheirrightsasparentsinawaythatiseasyforthem

to understand.

• Ifparentsdon’tspeakEnglishoronlyunderstandalittlebit,theschoolshouldmake

every reasonable effort so that an interpreter is present at school meetings.

• Theparentshavetherighttorequestthatthechild’sfileremainsconfidential.

• Schoolsmustobtainwrittenconsentofparentstoperformevaluationsoftheirchild

to determine whether he has a disability or not.

• Theparentshavetherighttoparticipateasmembersofateamthatwilldeterminethe

child’s special needs, the location of the child’s instruction, and the special education

services that the school will provide.

– 30 –

The parents have the right to disagree with decisions made by the school, or actions taken by

the school related to eligibility, environment or the classroom of their child, and to initiate a

variety of steps to resolve the discrepancy.

Special education needs in the UK

Under the UK law it is up to mainstream schools to try to meet special education needs

(“Training”, n.d.). If it is not possible for a mainstream school to provide the help needed by

a child in their schooling, it is up to the local authority to assess the child’s needs and provide

solutions. An assessment can be requested by the parent or by the child’s school, although

theschoolshouldtalktotheparentfirstbeforerequestinganassessment.Assessmentsof

SEN are carried out by local authorities.

The assessment procedure involves the local authorities who will ask for input from the

child’s school, the child’s parent(s), a doctor, an educational psychologist, social services and

anyone else who may be in a position to provide help or advice. Following the assessment,

SENofficerswoulddecidewhethertowriteastatementofSEN.Parentsareinformedwithin

12 weeks of the assessment if this is the case. A statement of SEN outlines the needs of the

child and the help they should receive.

There are entities such as the British Dyslexia Association(UK) which runs a variety of

training courses and accredited level programmes for education staff working with all ages

and levels of learners, with the aim of helping them to better support students who have

dyslexiaandspecificlearningdifficulties.

These courses are delivered in a number of ways, including:

• OpenTrainingcourses

• OnsiteTraining

• eLearning

• SASCAccreditedTraining

• SpringandSummerSchools

– 31 –

A national implementation programme (‘Early Support’) encourages the development of

Early Childhood Intervention services. The programme actively promotes partnership by

having a consistent team around the child (TAC), meetings with families which enables

parents to be at the centre of decision making at all times. National programmes such as

the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services and

Aiming High for Disabled Children promote working with parents in a partnership manner

via a system of regular meetings, joint writing of Family Service Plans, shared information,

shared training and, where appropriate, regular support from a lead professional or key

worker. ‘Sure Start’ programmes liaise closely with families to make sure that services

reflect family involvement and participation. Participation of parents in themanagement

committees and mechanisms are included to ensure regular evaluation of Sure Start services

(EADSNE, 2010).

Special education needs in Singapore

In2004,theMinistryofEducation(MOE)announcedthefollowinginitiativestosupport

students with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools:

• DeploymentofAlliedEducators(LearningandBehaviouralSupport)[AEDs(LBS)],

to support students with mild special education needs such as dyslexia, Autism

SpectrumDisorder(ASD)andAttentionDeficitHyperactivityDisorder(ADHD)in

mainstream schools.

• Providingtrainingtoacoregroupofteachersinallmainstreamprimaryandsecondary

schoolswithacertificateleveltraininginspecialneeds.Theseteacherstakeonthe

role as Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSNs) in schools.

– 32 –

CONCLUSION

The survey results revealed that most parents, teachers and management were not aware

ofSENsorthepoliciesrelatedtothem.Thisreflectedontheattitudetheypossessedabout

SEN, lackofawarenessofSENsandthepolicies thatcontributed to the identificationof

SEN. This awareness too caused the attitude formation of SEN in the minds of the teachers

andmanagementbecausetheywerenotconfidentinsupportingthesestudents.Furthermore,

alackofproperidentificationproceduresofSENandthesupportforSENeducationalso

contributedtothefactthatSENswerenotproperlyidentified.Parentswerealsounawareof

SENs as stated above which contributed to their attitude towards SEN students. The attitude

of the parents provides an interpretation of the societal attitude too. These parents’ attitude

moderatestheidentificationofSENinPrimaryschoolchildreninSriLanka.

Limitations

The geographical coverage of the survey was limited to the Gampaha and Colombo districts.

Further, interpretation of the term “SEN” may not be consistent from person to person.When

consideringchildrenwithspecialeducationneeds,theycouldbeeithergifted/exceptionalor

havelearningandbehaviouralissues.Thesurveyfocusedontheidentificationofchildren

with special education needs due to learning and behavioural issues. Students who are gifted

or exceptional have not been considered within the scope of the survey.

Areas for future study

The attitudes of teachers could be tested against their experience and exposure in the industry

of education. The societal attitude is to be understood by other means than merely depending

on parents’ attitude. The SEN areas of exact support received and the areas which need the

most support by the policy makers are to be discovered by focusing more on the policies that

are in place.

– 33 –

REFERENCES

Asian Development Bank, (2006). Annual Report, Philippines.

Booth, T. (2000). Controlling the agenda: policies on inclusion and exclusion in England. In Armstrong, D., Armstrong, F., & Barton, L. (Eds.), Policy, Contexts and Comparative Perspectives, London: Fulton.

Central Bank of Sri Lanka, (2014). Annual Report, Colombo, 76-78.

Department for Education and Skills (2001). Special Educational Needs - Code of Practice. London: Department for Education and Skills.

European Commission (2013). Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion Support for children with special educational needs. European Commission, Brussels.

European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. (n.d.). Germany - Teacher training - basic and specialist teacher training. Retrieved from https://www.european-agency.org/country-information/germany/national-overview/teacher-training-basic-and-specialist-teacher-training

How does the special education system work in the United States? (n.d.). Colorín Colorado. Retrievedfromhttp://www.colorincolorado.org/article/how-does-special-education-system-work-united-states

Ministry of Education (2004). The Development of Education – National Report. Battaramulla: Ministry of Education.

Ministry of Education (2008). School Census – 2008: Preliminary Report. Battaramulla: Ministry of Education.

Ministry of Education and Higher Education (1979). Educational Reforms in Sri Lanka. Battaramulla: Ministry of Education.

Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Social Welfare (1990). Children’s Charter (The Charter on the Rights of Children), Sri Lanka: Department of Probation & Child Care Services, Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Social Welfare.

National Institute of Education (1991). Special Education Policy of Sri Lanka. Department of Special Education, National Institute of Education,Sri Lanka .

Resources to Support for Children with Special Needs ( 2015). Retrieved from Singapore Ministry of Education website: https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/programmes/support-for-children-special-needs

– 34 –

Special Needs Education in Australia (n.d.). Retrieved from Angloinfo Limited Website: Retrieved from https://www.angloinfo.com/australia/how-to/page/australia-family-schooling-education-special-needs

Training(n.d.).RetrievedfromBritishDyslexiaAssociationwebsite:.Retrievedfromhttp://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/educator/bda-services-educators

UNESCO(1994).TheSalamancastatementandFrameworkforActiononSpecialNeedsEducation. World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality, 5-43. Spain:UNESCO.

UNICEF (2003). Examples of Inclusive Education: Sri Lanka. South Asia: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (2006). Retrieved from UnitedNationswebsite:http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml

Whatarespecialeducationneeds?(n.d.).Retrievedfromhttp://www.nidirect.gov.uk/what-are-special-educational-needs.

– 35 –

ANNEXE 01: SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Survey design

The study population consisted of teachers, management and parents of primary school

children in the schools of Colombo and Gampaha districts of the Western Province, Sri

Lanka. The approvals from the Ministry of Education and TISSL (The International Schools

of Sri Lanka) were obtained for distribution of the questionnaires in government and other

registeredschools.Participantswereidentifiedthroughprofessionallinkswithpersonnelat

various schools.

A random sample of parents, teachers and schools were selected from Government, Semi-

government, International and Private school categories. An attempt was made to include

a representative sample of teachers and parents of students in schools across the selected

geographical areas. 98 schools consisting of 82 Government schools, 07 Private schools,

06 International schools, and 03 Semi-government schools were surveyed in the study. As

a whole 9,181 parents’ questionnaires and 2,971 teachers’ questionnaires were distributed

among the schools.

Implementation

Questionnaires were selected as the main instrument for this study. There were no standard

questionnaires that had been developed, which matched with the objectives of this survey.

For this purpose, a broad study framework was developed based on the previous studies.

Based on the study framework two sets of questionnaires were developed, one for school

teachers and management (Annexe 04) and the other for parents (Annexe 03). An attempt

was made to keep all questions as simple as possible, since the survey team was not present

whenquestionnaireswerefilledbyrespondents,andtheopportunitytoprovideexplanations

for any questions the respondents had was only through the contact number given. There

was also no possibility of contacting the respondents or having meetings with them for any

clarificationsregardingtheirresponses.Allquestionswereclose-ended.Likertscalebased

questions were used to measure their attitudes.

– 36 –

The initial questionnaires developed, were presented to three groups of selected stakeholders,

which included the sponsoring institute (Alethea Group of Schools), teachers and parents,

for a critical evaluation. A pilot study was also carried out. The feedback received, such

as unclear questions and suggestions for improvement, were taken into consideration in

finalizingbothquestionnaires.Therewereconsiderablevalueadditionstothequestionnaire

development through focus group discussion and pilot study. Through pretesting the

instrument, the researchers were able to verify whether the participants were actually clear

about the meaning of each question.

ThefinalizedquestionnaireswerethentranslatedintoSinhalaforthebenefitoftheSinhala

participants. This decision was taken by the team mainly to secure the validity and reliability

of the instrument developed. It should be noted that these questionnaires were not translated

into Tamil, which is a limitation of the study.

The survey was conducted during the period 12thOctober2015to22nd November 2015 and

was carried out by all the 06 members of the survey team. The group was divided into three

teamscomprisingoftwomembersineachforeaseoforganizingandparalleldistributionof

questionnaires. Questionnaires were distributed via a responsible personality in each school

(i.e. most of the time the Principal or a delegate), which were thereafter redistributed among

the teachers and the students. The students were instructed to handover the questionnaires to

their parents. The covering letter attached to each questionnaire provided instructions asking

therespondentstohandoverthesealedenvelopesprovided,totheclassteacher/Principal.

Completed parents’ and teachers’ questionnaires were collected by the team members after

communicating with the contact person on an agreed date.

Ofthesampleselected,thesurveycollectedresponsesfrom6,265parentsand2,019teachers.

The response rate was 68.17%. There were 1,562 questionnaires rejected due to a lack of

sufficientdataandcredibility.

Each questionnaire was assigned a reference number after collection. Data were recorded

andupdatedsimultaneously.Anexcelsheetpreparedwithrestrictedandcontrolledfields

wasusedtominimizedataentryerrors.

– 37 –

Ethical considerations

The Ethics approval paper was submitted prior to the commencement of the survey. In

addition, there were several precautions taken to protect the ethical dimension of the survey.

The covering letter at the beginning of each questionnaire was used to inform the participants

about the purpose of the study, the process of data collection, and that there were no potential

risks or costs involved. It also conveyed that they had the right to voluntarily agree or decline

to participate. The questionnaire did not contain any questions which requested information

on identificationof theparticipants.Thequestionnaireswere labelledandclassifiedonly

after the data was collected. Hence, anonymity was maintained as subjects cannot be linked

with their individual responses. The gathered data was recorded truthfully, and there was no

manipulationwhenanalyzingthedata.CollectedquestionnaireswerestoredattheResearch

Centre of the Postgraduate Institute of Management, Sri Jayewardenepura, for a period of 5

years in sealed boxes for future reference, if the need arises.

Data Analysis

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 was used for the statistical

analysis. The questions and responses were coded and entered in the computer using

Microsoft Excel.Mainly descriptive statisticswere used to analyze data. Further, factor

loading, chi-square analysis and t-test for comparison were performed using SPSS. The

frequency tables were applied to Microsoft Excel in order to draw pie-charts and bar-charts.

Only questions which had a factor loading of 0.6 and above were considered for the

discussion.T-testswith a significance level of 0.05wereperformedwherenecessary, to

verifythepresenceofanactualsignificantdifferencebetweenresponsesbasedonschool

type.

– 38 –

ANNEXE 02: GEOGRAPHIC DISPERSION OF SCHOOLS

– 39 –

– 40 –

ANNEXE 03: PARENTS QUESTIONNAIRE WITH COVERING LETTER

Dear Parents,

Weinviteyoutoparticipateinaresearchstudyentitled:IdentificationofSpecialEducation

Needs (SENs) of Primary School Children in Sri Lanka. We are currently enrolled in the

MBA at the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura,

and in the process of doing a Survey on the above subject. The purpose of the research

istodetermine:WhethertheSENsisidentifiedinSriLankanPrimaryschoolsandifnot

to understand why it is not so. The enclosed questionnaire has been designed to collect

information on the above requirement.

Yourresponseswillremainconfidentialandanonymous.Nooneotherthantheresearchers

will know your individual answers to this questionnaire. Your responses may result in a

bettereducationsystemforallthechildrenandSENs,asthesurveyfindingswillbeusedfor

futurepolicydevelopmentsandSENsidentification.Thiswillalsobeusedtoupgradethe

standards of education in Public, Private and International Schools by providing necessary

insights to education.

It should take approximately 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Please return

the questionnaire as soon as possible to your child’s Class teacher sealed in the enclosed

envelope.

If you have any questions about this research, please feel free to contact the below signed.

Thank you for your assistance in this important endeavor.

Sincerely yours,

OnalieDissanayake(0772940771)

Principal Investigator

– 41 –

ys;j;A fouõmshks,

› chj¾Okmqr úYAj úoHd,hg wkqnoAê; mYApd;A Wmdê l<uKdlrK wdh;kfhys

mYApd;A jHdmdr l<uKdlrK Wmdêh yodrk wm, › ,xldfõ mdi,Aj, m%d:ñl wOHdmkh

;=, úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA y÷kd.ekSfï ÿ¾j,;djhlA ;sfío hk j.

iy tfiA ùug n,mdk idOl y÷kd.ekSu i|yd .fõYKd;Aul m¾fhAIKhl kshe<S isà’

fï iuÕ uqøKh lr we;s m%YAkdj,sh Tn úiskA iïmQ¾K lr kej; Ndr§u fuu ld¾Hh

id¾:l lr.ekSu i|yd jeo.;A rel=,lA jkq we;.

Tn úiskA imhk ,o f;dr;=re iEu úgu fm!oA.,sl;Ajh wdrCId jk whqßkA fhdod .ekSug

wm j. n,d .kAfkuq. fuu f;dr;=re úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA we;=¨ ish¨

mdi,A <uqkAf.A wNsjDoAêh fukAu wOHdmk fCI;%fhA .=Kd;Aul Ndjh kxjd,Sug buy;A

rel=,lA jk nj wm ;rfhA úYAjdi lruq.

fuu m%YAkdj,sh iïmQ¾K lsÍu i|yd ñks;A;= 15l muK ld,hlA .;jk w;r” iïmQ¾K

lrk ,o m%YAkdj,sh imhd we;s ,shqï ljrfhA nyd, w,jd mkA;s Ndr .=reNj;d fj;

,ndfok fukA b;d ldreKslj b,A,d isáuq.

fï iïnkaOj jeä úiA;r wjYH kï tA i|yd my; i|ykA ud wu;k fukA ldreKslj

b,A,d isáñ.

óg úYAjdi.

Tk,s Èidkdhl ^0772 940771&

– 42 –

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARENTS

1. How old is your child?(tick all appropriate)

Tnf.A orejdf.A$orejkAf.A jhi lSho@ ^wod, ish¨ fldgq ,l=Kq lrkak&

06-11years/wjqreÿ 12-14years/wjqreÿ

15-19years/wjqreÿ

2. What type school is your child studying in?

Tnf.A orejd bf.kqu ,nkAfkA lskï j¾.fhA mdi,lo@

Government/rcfhA Private/fm!oA.,sl

International/cd;Hka;r Other/fjk;A

3. How satisfied are youwith the support your child received during the primary (grade 1 to 5)education from school? Please tick your choice as your satisfaction level (1 is the minimum satisfaction level and 6 is the maximum satisfaction level)

orejd mdif,kA ,;A m%d:ñl wOHdmkfhAoS^1jk fY%AKsfha isg 5jk fY%AKsh olajd& ,o iyfhdA.h ms<sn|j Tn fl;rï ;Dma;su;a jkAfkAo@ ^Tnf.a ;Dma;su;A njg iß,k mßÈ ,l=Kq lrkAk. 1 wju ;Dma;s uÜgu f,io, 6 Wmßu ;Dma;s uÜgu f,io i,lkak&

1 2 3 4 5 6

4. Have you had any problems enrolling your child into Montessori or Primary school?

Tnf.A orejd fmr mdi,lg fydA m%d:ñl mdi,lg we;=<;a lsÍfïoS Tn .eg¿j,g uqyqK mEfõo@

Yes/Tõ No$ke;

5. If the answer to the above is ‘Yes’, was it due to any of the below reasons? (tick all appropriate)

m%YaK wxl 4g zTõZ hehs i|yka lf,A kï” th my; i|yka lskï ÿIAlr;djlA ksido@ ^wod, ish¨ fldgq ,l=Kq lrkak&

Development Delayj¾Okh m%udoùu

Emotional/behavioralissuesyeÕSï$yeisÍï .eg¿

Learning(reading/writing)bf.kSu iïnkAOj^lshùu$,sùu&

Physical/Medicalldhsl$ffjoH .eg¿

Speech/Languagel:kh$NdIdj

Other(pleasespecify)_______fjk;A^i|ykA lrkAk&

– 43 –

Pleasetickthemostsuitableboxforeachquestionthatfitsyouthemost(1=‘notatall’&6=‘toagreat extent’). jvd;Au iß,k ms<s;=r ,l=Kq lrkAk ^1-ztlÕ fkdfõZ jk w;r 6-zb;d tlÕfõZ&

1 2 3 4 5 6

6. To what extent did your child receive any extra support in the primary school?

Tnf.A orejdg m%d:ñl mdif,A§ úfYAI iyhlA ,enqfkAo@

7. To what extent do you agree to share the classroom environment with students having special needs?

Tn fldf;lA ÿrg Tnf.A orejdf.A mkA;sh úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d fydA ÿ¾j,;d iys; isiqkA iuÕ N=lA;s ú£ug leu;so@

8. Students who are physically aggressive towards others in school should not be in regular school. Would you agree?

wfklA isiqkA flfrys ldhsl fydA jdÑl l<yldÍ yeisÍï rgdjlA fmkAkqï lrk isiqkA idudkH mkA;shl isàu kqiqÿiqh’

9. Students who lack daily living skills and need training in managing themselves should be in regular school.

;u ffoksl l%shd lr.ekSug wmyiq” mqyqKqjlA wjYH isiqkA idudkH mkA;shl isàu iqÿiqh’

10. Itwillbedifficulttogiveequalattentiontoallstudentsinaclassroomwithdifficultstudents.

úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d isiqkA iys; idudkH mkA;shl b.ekAùfïoS ish¨ isiqkA yg tl yd iudk wjOdkhlA ,nd§u ÿIAlr fõ’

11. Cooperation of parents towards a class with special students is insufficient.

úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d isiqkA iys; idudkH mkA;shl tu mkA;sfhA fjk;A fouõmshkAf.kA ,efnk iyfhdA.h m%udKj;A fkdfõ’

12. Iwould likemychild to be able toworkwithdifficult children inclass.

udf.A orejdg úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA iu. tlAù jev lsÍug wjiA:djlA ,efnkAfkA kï leu;s fjñ.

13. Lackofadequateresourcesandspecialmaterialswillmakeitdifficultfor teachers and students to have special students in class.

m%udKj;A iïm;A fkdue;sùu, úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA idudkH mkA;shl isàfï§ .=rejrekAg fukAu wfkl=;A isiqkAgo fkdfhl=;A wyiq;djhkA f.kfoA.

– 44 –

14. Do you have any experience with Special Education Needs (SEN) children in or out of school?

Tng úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA iu. mdif,A§ fydA bkA msg;§ w;AoelSï ;sfío@

Yes/Tõ No$ke;

15. If the answer to the above is ‘Yes’, which of the following is it? (tick all appropriate)

m%YaK wxl 14g zTõZ hehs i|yka lf,A kï” th my; i|yka lskï wjiA:djkAys o@ ^wod, ish¨ fldgq ,l=Kq lrkak&

Immediate familymjqf,A idudcslfhlA

At workld¾hd,fhA§

RelativekEoEfhlA

At schoolmdif,AoS

Neighborwi,AjeisfhlA

Other(pleasespecify)_______fjk;A^i|ykA lrkAk&

Friendhy¿fjlA

16. Do you think that the special children have proper facilities available in schools than outside the schools?

úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkAyg msg;g jvd mdi, ;=, myiqlï ;sfí hehs Tng isf;Ao@

Yes/Tõ No$ke;

17. Do you think there are policies to include special children in general schools in Sri Lanka (at national level)?

wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkAidudkH mdie,A j,g we;=,;A lr.ekSu i|yd › ,xldfõ m%;sm;A;s iy m%ldYk mj;S hehs Tn is;kAfkAo@

Yes/Tõ No$ke;

18. Do you think Sri Lanka needs policies to include special children in general schools?

úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkAidudkH mdie,A j,g we;=,;A lr.ekSu i|yd › ,xldfõ m%;sm;A;s iy m%ldYk ;sîu wjYH hehs Tn is;kAfkAo@

Yes/Tõ No$ke;

19. Do you think that special children should be in separate schools or general schools?

úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkAidudkH mdie,A j, fydA fjkAjQúfYAImdie,A j, isáh hq;= nj Tn is;kAfkAo@

General schoolsidudkH mdie,A

Separate SchoolsfjkAjQúfYAImdie,A

Thank you for sharing your time to improve the quality of education in Sri Lanka.

› ,xldfõ wOHdmk fCIA;%h ;=, .=Kd;aul Ndjh j¾Okh lsÍu i|yd Tn oelAjQ iyfhdA.hg

iA;+;shs.

– 45 –

ANNEXE 04: TEACHERS QUESTIONNAIRE WITH COVERING LETTER

Dear Teachers,

Weinviteyoutoparticipateinaresearchstudyentitled:IdentificationofSpecialEducation

Needs (SENs) of Primary School Children in Sri Lanka. We are currently enrolled in the

MBA at the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura,

and in the process of doing a Survey on the above subject. The purpose of the research

istodetermine:WhethertheSENsisidentifiedinSriLankanPrimaryschoolsandifnot

to understand why it is not so. The enclosed questionnaire has been designed to collect

information on the above requirement.

Yourresponseswillremainconfidentialandanonymous.Nooneotherthantheresearchers

will know your individual answers to this questionnaire. Your responses may result in a

bettereducationsystemforallthechildrenandSENsasthesurveyfindingswillbeusedfor

futurepolicydevelopmentsandSENsidentification.Thiswillalsobeusedtoupgradethe

standards of education in Public, Private and International Schools by providing necessary

insights to education.

It should take approximately 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Please return the

questionnaire as soon as possible to the Principal sealed in the enclosed envelope.

If you have any questions about this research, please feel free to contact the below signed.

Thank you for your assistance in this important endeavor.

Sincerely yours,

OnalieDissanayake(0772940771)Principal Investigator

– 46 –

ys;j;A .=re Nj;=ks,

› chj¾Okmqr úYAj úoHd,hg wkqnoAê; mYApd;A Wmdê l<uKdlrK wdh;kfhys

mYApd;A jHdmdr l<uKdlrK Wmdêh yodrk wm, › ,xldfõ mdi,Aj, m%d:ñl wOHdmkh

;=, úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA y÷kd.ekSfï ÿ¾j,;djhlA ;sfío hk j.

iy tfiA ùug n,mdk idOl y÷kd.ekSu i|yd .fõYKd;Aul m¾fhAIKhl kshe<S isà’

fï iuÕ uqøKh lr we;s m%YAkdj,sh Tn úiskA iïmQ¾K lr kej; Ndr§u fuu ld¾Hh

id¾:l lr.ekSu i|yd jeo.;A rel=,lA jkq we;’

Tn úiskA imhk ,o f;dr;=re iEu úgu fm!oA.,sl;Ajh wdrCId jk whqßkA fhdod .ekSug

wm j. n,d .kAfkuq’ fuu f;dr;=re úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA we;=¨ ish¨

mdi,A <uqkAf.A wNsjDoAêh fukAu wOHdmk fCI;%fhA .=Kd;Aul Ndjh kxjd,Sug buy;A

rel=,lA jk nj wm ;rfhA úYAjdi lruq.

fuu m%YAkdj,sh iïmQ¾K lsÍu i|yd ñks;A;= 15l muK ld,hlA .;jk w;r, iïmQ¾K

lrk ,o m%YAkdj,sh imhd we;s ,shqï ljrfhA nyd, w,jd úÿ,Am;s;=ud fj; ,ndfok

fukA b;d ldreKslj b,A,d isáuqq.

fï iïnkaOj jeä úiA;r wjYH kï tA i|yd my; i|ykA ud wu;k fukA ldreKslj

b,A,d isáñ.

óg úYAjdiS,

Tk,s Èidkdhl ^0772 940771&

– 47 –

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

1. What is your gender?

Tnf.A iA;’%$mqreI Ndjhl=ulAo@

Male/mqreI Female/iA;’%

2. What age range do you belong to?

Tn wh;A jk jhiA ldKAvh l=ulAo@

18-25 years/wjqreÿ 26-33 years/wjqreÿ

34-41 years/wjqreÿ 42-49 years/wjqreÿ

49 yearsorolder/wjqreÿ fyda Bg jeä

3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

Tn ,nd we;s WiiAu wOHdmksl iqÿiqlu l=ulAo@

G.C.E.A/L/w¡fmd¡i¡ WiiA fm< PostgraduateDiploma/mYApd;A ämAf,dAud

Diploma/ämAf,dAud Masters/mYApd;A WmdêOdÍ

TrainedTeacher/mqyqKq .=re Doctorate/wpd¾h WmdêOdÍ

Degree/WmdêOdÍ

4. Whatwasthemainfieldofstudyofyourhighestlevelofeducation?

Tn ,nd we;s WiiAu wOHdmksl iqÿiqlu yodrk ,oAfoA l=uk úIh OdrdjlskAo@

Education/wOHdmk Management/mßmd,k

Psychology/udkisl úoHd Other(pleasespecify)_________________fjk;A^i|ykA lrkAk&

5. How many years of teaching experience do you have in your career?

Tn .=re jD;A;sfhA kshe,S isá fiAjd ld,h fldmuKo@

Male/mqreI

6. What type of schools have you been working in?(tick all applicable)

Tnf.A iAjd ld,h ;=,§ fiAjh lrk ,oAfoA l=uk j¾.fhA mdie,A j,o@ ^wod, ish¨fldgq ,l=Kq lrkak&

Government/rcfhA International/cd;Hka;r

Private/fm!oA.,sl Other(pleasespecify)_________________fjk;A^i|ykA lrkAk&

– 48 –

7. Special Education Needs (SEN) is a practice of educating students who need support. Have you had any experience with such students?

úfYAI wOHdmksl wOHdmkh hkq úúO wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA yg ;u ksmqk;djhkA lrd <Õdùug iyfhdA.h ,nd§uhs. fujeks orejkA iuÕ jev lsÍug Tng wjiA:dj ,eî we;Ao@

Yes/Tõ No/ke;

If you answered ‘yes’ to question 7, please answer question 8.

Tn m%Yak wxl 7g zTõZ hehs i|ykA lf¾ kï muKlA, m%Yak wxl 8g ms<s;=re imhkAk.

8. Please specify the type of experience (tick all applicable)

Tnf.A w;AoelSu lskï tllAo@

Atschool/mdif,A§ Personal-knowntome/fm!oA.,sl-ys;j;A wh

Tuition/wu;r mkA;s j,§ Other(please specify)_________________fjk;A^i|ykA lrkAk&

9. AreyoutrainedorqualifiedinSEN?

Tn úfYAI wOHdmksl wOHdmkh iïnkAOj mqyqKqjlA ,nd fydA oekqj;Aù we;Ao@

Yes/Tõ No/ke;

10. Would you be willing to undergo SEN training?

Tn úfYAI wOHdmksl wOHdmkh iïnkAOj mqyqKqùug fydA oekqj;Aùug leu;so@

Yes/Tõ No/ke;

11. To what extent do you agree to share the educative environment with students having disabilities or special needs?(tick the most appropriate)

;u b.ekAùï lghq;=j, kshe,Sfï§, Tn tu mßirh úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA iuÕ fydA ÿ¾j,;d iys; isiqkA iuÕ jev lsÍug leu;so@

Notatall/wlue;shs Toamoderateextent/iEfyk ÿrg

Toaverysmallextent/b;d w,Am jYfhkA Toagreatextent/leue;shs

Tosomeextent/hï ;dlA ÿrg

– 49 –

Pleasetickthemostsuitableboxforeachquestionthatfitsyouthemost(1=‘notagreeing’&6=‘agreeing to a great extent’).jvd;Au iß,k ms<s;=r ,l=Kq lrkAk ^1-ztlÕ fkdfõZ jk w;r 6-zb;d tlÕfõZ&

1 2 3 4 5 6

12. Studentswhoarephysicallyand/orverballyaggressivetowardstheirpeers in school should not be in regular school

ldhslj iy$fydA jdÑlj wfklA isiqkA iuÕ l,yldÍ f,i yeisfrk isiqkA idudkH mkA;shl isàu kqiqÿiqh

13. Studentswhohavedifficultyinsustainingattentioninclassshouldbein regular schools

mkA;s ldurfhA§ wjOdkh mj;Ajd .; fkdyels isiqkA idudkH mkA;shl isàu iqÿiqh

14. Studentswhosespeechisdifficulttounderstandshouldbeinregularschool

mkA;s ldurfhA§ wjOdkh mj;Ajd .; fkdyels isiqkA idudkH mkA;shl isàu iqÿiqh

15. Having SEN childrenin a general classroom will lead to stress and anxiety of the teacher or management

úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA idudkH mkA;shl isàu, .=rejrhd iy mdi,A mßmd,kh u; udkisl wd;;shlA yd mSvkhlA we;slrhs

16 Lack of adequate resources and special materials will make inclusion difficult

m%udKj;A$iß,k iïm;A fkdue;sj úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA yg idudkH mkA;shl b.ekAùu ÿIAlr ld¾hhlA fõ

17. I will not be able to cope with disabled students

ug úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA yg b.ekAùu ÿIAlr ld¾hhlA fõ

18. Itwillbedifficulttogiveequalattentiontoallstudentsininclusiveclassrooms

úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA yg idudkH mkA;shl b.ekAùfï§, ish¨ isiqkA yg tl Nd iudk wjOdkhlA ,nd§u ÿIAlr fõ

– 50 –

Please tick the most suitable box for each question that fits you the most (1 = ‘not agreeing’& 6 = ‘agreeing to a great extent’). jvd;Au iß,k ms<s;=r ,l=Kq lrkAk ^1-ztlÕ fkdfõZ jk w;r 6-zb;d tlÕfõZ&.

Not

at a

ll tl

Õ k

e;

To a

ver

y sm

all e

xten

t b;

d w,Am j

Yfhk

A tl

Õ f

õ

To so

me

exte

nt h

ï ;

dlA ÿ

rg t

lÕ

fõ

To a

mod

erat

e ex

tent

iEfy

k ÿr

g tlÕ

fõ

To a

gre

at e

xten

t tlÕ

fõ

19. Curriculumisinflexibleforaninclusiveeducationsystem

úIh ks¾foAYh wkA;¾.; wOHdmkh i|yd kuHYs,S ke;

20. Preparation on inclusive education of teachers and education

leadersisinsufficient

wkA;¾.; wOHdmkh i|yd .=rejrekAf.A yd m%OdkSkAf.A iQodkï

ùu m%udKj;A fkdfõ

21. Cooperationofparentsoninclusiveeducationisinsufficient

wkA;¾.; wOHdmkh i|yd fouõmshkAf.A iydh m%udKj;A fkdfõ

22. To what extent are you aware of the policies for inclusive education in Sri Lanka (at national level)?

Tnfl;rï ÿrg › ,xldfõ mj;sk wkA;¾.; wOHdmk m%;sm;A;s iy m%ldYk .ek oekqj;Ao@

23. To what extent are you aware of the International policies towards inclusive education?

Tnfl;rï ÿrg cd;Hka;rj mj;sk wkA;¾.; wOHdmk m%;sm;A;s iy m%ldYk .ek oekqj;Ao@

– 51 –

Tick ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the following questions. my; i|ykA m%Yak j,g iqÿiq f,i zTõZ fydA zke;Z ,l=Kq lrkAk.

Yes/Tõ No/ke;

24 Do you have any personal or professional experience outside your working hours at the school of been giving assistance, providing service, special aid or lessons to any person with special needs or disabilities?

Tng hïlsis wdldrhlskA úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkA yg Tnf.A fiAjh, fm!oA.,sl fydA jD;A;Suh jYfhkA ,nd§fï w;AoelSulA mdif,kA ndysrj we;Ao@

25 Studentswithdifficultyfollowingschool rulesshouldbe inregularschools

mdif,A úkh ud,dj wkq.ukh l< fkdyels isiqkA idudkH mdi,l isàu iqÿiqh

26. Students who persistently experience difficulty in expressing theirthoughts should be in regular schools

ks;r ks;r ;u woyiA m%ldY lsÍfï wmiq;d we;s isiqkA idudkH mdi,l isàu iqÿiqh

27. I do not have knowledge and skills to teach students with SEN

ud yg úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkAg b.ekAùug wjYH ksmqk;djhkA fydA oekqu ke;

– 52 –

Rate the extent of relevance of the following barriers for an effective Inclusive education implementation at your school.

wkA;¾.; wOHdmkh Tfí mdif,A l%shd;Aul lsÍu flfrys n,mdk wjysr;d fl;rïoehs Tfí oekqug wkqj ;lAfiAre lrkAk.

Not

at a

ll tl

Õ k

e;

To a

ver

y sm

all e

xten

t b;

d w,Am j

Yfhk

A tl

Õ f

õ

To so

me

exte

nt h

ï ;

dlA ÿ

rg t

lÕ

fõ

To a

mod

erat

e ex

tent

iEfy

k ÿr

g tlÕ

fõ

To a

gre

at e

xten

t tlÕ

fõ

28. How knowledgeable are you about diversity and inclusion in education

úúO;Ajh yd wkA;¾.; wOHdmkh .ek Tn fl;rï oekqj;Ao@

29. Does your school have special needs identification processes andadequate assessment procedures

Tfí mdif,A úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d yªkd.ekSfï l%shdj,shlA iy m%udkj;A we.hSï l%shdj,shlA ;sfío@

30. To what extent did the lack or presence of special needs resources affectedyourteachingperformance?ficient

úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d i|yd iïm;A ;sîu fydA fkd;sîu Tnf.A b.ekAùfï l%shdj,shg n,mEfõo@

31. Did you receive any training or institutional assistance from the school in order to better cope with the special necessities of the students?

Tng mdif,kA úfYAI wOHdmksl wjYH;d iys; isiqkAg b.ekAùfï lghq;= lsÍu i|yd hïlsis mqyqKqjlA fydA iyhlA ,nd§ we;Ao@

Thank you for sharing your time to improve the quality of education in Sri Lanka.

› ,xldfõ wOHdmk fCIA;%h ;=, .=Kd;aul Ndjh j¾Okh lsÍu i|yd Tn oelAjQ iyfhdA.hg iA;+;shs.

– 53 –

ANNEXE 05: SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS (SENS) CONSIDERED IN THE SURVEY

What ‘special educational needs’ means

Theterm‘specialeducationalneeds’hasalegaldefinition,referringtochildrenwhohave

learningdifficultiesordisabilitiesthatmakeitharderforthemtolearnthanmostchildren

of the same age. Many children will have special needs of some kind at some time during

their education.

SENs that are in the range of mild to moderate were taken into considerationduring this

survey whilst moderate to severe conditions were not considered.

SENs

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

TheAutismSpectrumDisorderreferstoadevelopmentaldisabilitythatsignificantlyaffects

communication (both verbal and nonverbal) and social interaction. These symptoms are

typically evident before the age of three and they adversely affect a child’s educational

performance. Other identifying characteristics of those with ASD are engagement in

repetitiveactivities/stereotypedmovements,resistancetochangeinenvironmentanddaily

routine and unusual responses to sensory stimuli.

It is also referred to as the Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). It is a behavioural

syndrome,whichmeansthatitsdefinitionisbasedonthepatternofbehavioursthatachild

exhibits.ItshouldbenotedthattherearefivedisorderslistedunderASDorPDDintheDSM-

IV manual by the American Psychiatric Association (1994). These disorders include the

AutisticDisorder,Asperger’sDisorder,PervasiveDevelopmentalDisorder,NotOtherwise

Specified,Rett’sDisorder,andtheChildhoodDisintegrativeDisorder.Alldisordersinthis

categoryexhibitabnormalitiesinsocializationskills,useoflanguageforcommunication,

andbehaviour.However,eachgroupdiffersintheseverityofthedeficits.

– 54 –

1.1 Asperger Syndrome (AS)

ASrefers to themildestandhighest functioningon thespectrumand ischaracterizedby

higher cognitive abilities ranging from average to superior intelligence. There are many

similar characteristics that can be seen between the Asperger syndrome and autism, but the

characteristics differ in the degree of severity and overall ability of the child. Nielsen (2009)

explains that children with Asperger syndrome have a higher verbal IQ than performance IQ,

which is opposite for children with autism who have a higher performance IQ than verbal IQ.

Children with Asperger syndrome can also be found to have more normal language ability

than children with autism, and the onset of Asperger is generally later than the onset of

autism.Asperger,similartoautism,ischaracterizedbydeficitsinsocialandcommunication

skills;however,thedeficitsaretoalesserseveritywithAspergersyndrome,andthelong-

term outlook for these children is more positive.

1.2 Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

PDD-NOShasbeenreferredtoasa“milder”formofautismwheresomebutnotallfeatures

ofautismareidentified.Therearenosetpatternsorsymptomsandsignsinchildrenwith

PDD-NOS,and there isaverywide rangeofdiversity seen inchildrenwithPDD-NOS.

ThediagnosisofPDD-NOSshouldbeusedwhenachildexhibitsasevereandpervasive

impairment in the development of social interaction or verbal and nonverbal communication

skills,butwhennotallcriteriaaremetforaspecificPDD.

1.3 Rett Syndrome

Rett syndrome is an extremely rare medical condition that has only been reported in females.

It has been added to the ASD category because in addition to the medical symptoms, children

withRettsyndrometendtodisplaysocial,communication,andplaydifficultiesassociated

with ASD.

1.4 Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)

CDD is a condition in which young children develop normally until age three or four, but

then demonstrate a severe loss of social, communication, and other skills. Doctors sometimes

– 55 –

confuse this rare disorder with late-onset of autism because both conditions involve normal

development followed by significant loss of language, social, play, and motor skills.

However, autism typically occurs at an earlier age. There’s also a more dramatic loss of

skills in children with CDD, and a greater likelihood of mental retardation. Further, CDD is

far less common than autism.

2. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Traumatic brain injury refers to an acquired injury to the brain caused by external physical

forces.This injury isone that results inapartialorcomplete functionaldisabilityand/or

psychosocial impairment, and must adversely affect the child’s educational performance.

TBI does not include congenital or degenerative conditions or those caused by birth-related

trauma. However, only partial functional disability is considered for the survey.

TBI applies to injuries that result in impairments in one or more of the following areas:

� Cognition � Language � Memory

� Reasoning � Abstract thinking � Judgment

� Psychosocial behaviour � Physical functions � Information processing

� Attention � Problem-solving � Speech

3. Speech/language impairment

Speech or language impairments refer to communications disorders such as stuttering,

stammering, impaired articulation or language/voice impairments that have an adverse

effect on a child’s educational performance.

4. Intellectual Disability (also referred to as “Mental Retardation”)

Intellectual disability is defined as a significantly below average functioning of overall

intelligencethatexistsalongsidedeficitsinadaptivebehaviourandismanifestedduringthe

child’s developmental period causing adverse effects on the child’s educational performance.

However, only mild to moderate levels are considered for the survey.

– 56 –

5. Visual Impairment

Visual impairment, generally includes blindness. However, for the purpose of the survey

it refers to impairment in one’s vision that, even after correction, adversely affects a

child’s educational performance, i.e. squint, and other visual disorders. The term “visual

impairment” is inclusive of those with partial sight.

6. Hearing Impairment

Hearingimpairmentreferstoanimpairment(fluctuatingorpermanent)thatadverselyaffects

achild’seducationalperformance.Thisisaformofdifficultythatthechildmayhavebut

could be corrected with external support (i.e. hearing aid) or medical support.

7. Developmental Delay

Developmentaldelayisatermdesignatedforchildrenfrombirthtoagenine,andisdefinedas

a delay in one or more of the following areas: cognitive development, physical development,

socio-emotional development, behavioural development or communication. This affects a

child’s education as he tends to develop certain areas far later than others in the same age.

This can also be corrected by providing the relevant support.

8. Emotional Disturbance

Emotional disturbance refers to a condition that exhibits one or more of the following

characteristics both over an extended period of time; and to an exceptional degree that

adversely affects a child’s educational performance:

� An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors.

� An inability to build and/ormaintain satisfactory interpersonal relationshipswith

peers and teachers.

� Inappropriate types of behaviour or feelings under normal circumstances.

� Ageneralpervasivemoodofunhappiness/depression.

� A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school

problems.

– 57 –

Emotional disturbance does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted unless they

are determined to have an emotional disturbance. These can be caused by different ways and

means, and family background also can play a considerable role.

9. Perceptual Disabilities

These are disabilities of the messages from the 5 senses that are received to the brain and

understood differently. They can be visual and auditory. These cause confusions in the

childwithwhatisthereandwhatisperceived.Wherewritingisconcerned,thechildfinds

itdifficulttocoordinatealltheskillsrelatedtowriting(i.e.spelling,creativity,grammar,

pencilgrip,etc.)and,therefore,prefersnottowrite.Memoryrelateddifficultiesarewhen

theyfinditdifficulttoremembersomeofthethingswhileothersarecapableofmemorizing

easily. They may not be able to recall certain memories at all. Motor skills are when the child

tends to be clumsy to a third person. However, the child does not have control over it, and

thisisrelatedtomusclecontrol.Itmaycausedifficultyinchildrentotakepartinsportsor

physical activities.

10. Dyslexia

Dyslexia,alsoknownasreadingdisorder,ischaracterizedbytroublewithreadingunrelatedto

problems with overall intelligence. Different people are affected to varying degrees. Problems

mayincludedifficultiesinspellingwords,readingquickly,writingwords,“soundingout”

words in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one

reads.Oftenthesedifficultiesarefirstnoticedatschool.Thedifficultiesareinvoluntaryand

people with this disorder have an unaffected desire to learn.

The cause of dyslexia is believed to involve both genetic and environmental factors.

Somecases run in families. It oftenoccurs in peoplewith attentiondeficit hyperactivity

disorder(ADHD),andisassociatedwithsimilardifficultieswithnumbers.Theunderlying

mechanisms are problems within the brain’s language processing. Dyslexia is diagnosed

through a series of tests of memory, spelling, vision, and reading skills.

– 58 –

11. Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is difficulty in learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty

in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, and learning facts in

mathematics. It isgenerallyseenasa specificdevelopmentaldisorder.Thiscanoccur in

peoplefromacross thewholeIQrange,often,butnotalways, involvingdifficultieswith

time, measurement, and spatial reasoning. Dyscalculia has been associated with female

children who have Turner syndrome.

12. Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a deficiency in the ability towrite, (primarily handwriting), aswell as in

coherence. Dysgraphia is a transcription disability, meaning that it is a writing disorder

associated with impaired handwriting, orthographic coding (orthography, the storing process

of written words and processing the letters in those words), and finger sequencing (the

movement of muscles required to write). It often overlaps with other learning disabilities such

as speech impairment, attentiondeficit disorder, or developmental coordinationdisorder.

Dysgraphia is characterizedasa learningdisability in thecategoryofwrittenexpression

when one’s writing skills are below those expected, given a person’s age measured through

intelligence and age-appropriate education.

Peoplewithdysgraphiacanoftenwritetosomeextent,andmayexperiencedifficultywith

otherfinemotorskills,suchastyingshoes.However,dysgraphiadoesnotaffectallmotor

skills.Peoplewithdysgraphiaoftenhaveunusualdifficultywithhandwritingandspelling

which in turn can cause writing fatigue. They may lack basic grammar and spelling skills

(forexample,havingdifficultieswiththelettersp,q,b,andd),andoftenwillwritethewrong

word when trying to formulate their thoughts on paper. The disorder generally emerges

whenthechildisfirstintroducedtowriting.

13. Aphasia

Aphasia is a condition that affects the ability to communicate. It is frequently caused by

brain damage, and causes problems with speaking, reading, listening, and writing. Symptoms

– 59 –

of aphasia consist ofdifficulties inusingwords and sentences andunderstandingothers.

Sufferersmay have difficulties in findingwords to express an idea, and theymay omit

smaller words or speak in short phrases. The condition may be mild or severe. It impacts

a person’s life by affecting the ability to express and understand both verbal and written

language. Aphasia treatment normally consists of speech therapy, practising language skills,

usingalternativecommunicationmethods,andusingspecializedcomputerprogrammes.

14. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

(ADHD)

ADD/ADHD is a condition that is characterized by problems with over-activity,

inattentiveness, and impulsivity. It is a chronic condition for which there is no cure.

CommonsymptomsthatoccurwithADD/ADHDaretroublestayingfocusedandlackof

attention,hyperactivity,andtroublecontrollingbehaviour. IfADD/ADHDsymptomsare

not addressed, problems can arise such as failing in school, problems with keeping a job later

in life, trouble with the law, and drug and alcohol abuse.

15. Tourette’s Syndrome

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (Tourette Syndrome or TS) is a neurological disorder

whichbecomesevidentinearlychildhoodoradolescence.Thefirstsymptomsusuallyare

involuntary movements (tics) of the face, arms, limbs or trunk. These tics are frequent,

repetitiveandrapid.Themostcommonfirstsymptomisafacialtic(eyeblink,nosetwitch,

grimace), and is replaced or added to by other tics of the neck, trunk, and limbs.

16. Cerebral Palsy (CP)

CP is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills (the ability to move

in a coordinated and purposeful way). CP usually is caused by brain damage that happens

beforeorduringababy’sbirth,orduringthefirst3to5yearsofachild’slife.Thisbrain

damage also can lead to other health issues, including vision, hearing, and speech problems;

and learning disabilities.

– 60 –

ANNEXE 06: DEFINITIONS

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a

child’s ability to communicate and interact with others. It also includes restricted repetitive

behaviours, interests and activities. These issues cause significant impairment in social,

occupationalandotherareasoffunctioningandtheyoftenfindtheworldtobeaconfusing

place.

EFA - Education for All movement is a global commitment to provide quality basic

education for all children, youth and adults. At the World Education Forum (Dakar,

2000), 164 governments pledged to achieveEFA, and identified six goals to bemet by

2015. Governments, development agencies, civil society and the private sector are working

together to reach the EFA goals.

In order to sustain the political commitment to EFA, and accelerate progress towards the

2015targets,UNESCOhasestablishedseveralcoordinationmechanismsmanagedbythe

UNESCO’sEFAGlobalPartnershipsteam.FollowingamajorreviewofEFAcoordination

in2010-2011,theUNESCOreformedtheglobalEFAcoordinationarchitecture..

MoE - The Ministry of Education also known as the Education Ministry is a ministry of

the Government of Sri Lanka that directs the formulation and implementation of policies

related to primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka. The ministry is not responsible for

tertiary education as it which comes under the Ministry of Higher Education. However, two

universities do come under the ministry.

PIM – The Postgraduate Institute of Management, one of the pioneering institutes

offering Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Public Administration (MPA)

orequivalentqualifications, iswidelyrecognizedforhighqualitymanagementeducation

acrossSriLanka.ThePIM is affiliated to theUniversityofSri Jayewardenepura, and is

located at No. 28, Lesly Ranagala Mawatha, Colombo 08. It is administered by a Director

and is under the supervision of this University. Prof. Ajantha S. Dharmasiri, is the present

Director of the PIM.

– 61 –

RGD - The Registrar General’s Department is a government body formed for registration

of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Sri Lankans and legal documents pertaining to properties.

SEN - As stated in section 312 of the Education Act of 1996 (UK), children have Special

Educational Needsiftheyhavealearningdifficultyrequiringspecialeducationalprovision

tobemadefor them.Theactfurtherelaborates thatchildrenhavea learningdifficulty if

they:a)haveasignificantlygreaterdifficultyinlearningthanthemajorityofchildrenofthe

same age, b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of general

educational facilities provided for children of the same age in schools, and c) are under

compulsoryschoolageandfallwithintheabovedefinition(aorb).

SPSS - Statistical Programme for Social Sciences is a widely used programme for

statistical analysis in social science. It is also used by market researchers, health researchers,

surveycompanies,government,educationresearchers,marketingorganizations,dataminers

andothers.Inadditiontostatisticalanalysis,datamanagement(caseselection,filereshaping

and creating derived data) and data documentation (a metadata dictionary was stored in the

datafile)arefeaturesofthebasesoftware.

TISSL - The International Schools of Sri Lanka is the Association of the Premier

International Schools in Sri Lanka. Since 1987, the Heads of pioneer International Schools

in Sri Lanka functioned as an association which was informally called ‘The Association of

Heads of International Schools in Sri Lanka’. This Association that has grown to 25 member

Schools, formally identify themselves as ‘The International Schools of Sri Lanka (TISSL)’

since February 2013.

All the member schools share the common values of providing a high quality international

education based upon British and International examinations. Member schools are further

distinguished by a commitment to provide a holistic approach to the development of young

people within a context of promoting and upholding the values and culture of Sri Lanka.

– 62 –

ANNEXE 07: RELATED REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS

Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001 (UK)

This is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This act was introduced as an

amendment to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) which added education to the

DDA. It ensures that disabled students are not discriminated against in education, training

andanyservicesprovidedwhollyormostlyforstudents.Theactemphasizesthatchildren

withSEN/disabilitiesmustbeeducated inmainstreamschoolsunless theparentsexpress

preference for a special school or unless the inclusion of the pupil would be incompatible

with the effective education of other pupils. It was also designed to make sure that where

possible, disabled people have the right to be able to work at their fullest capacity and have

thechancetofulfiltheirpotential.

The act states that it is unlawful to treat disabled pupils less favourably than other pupils

in accessing the physical environment and the curriculum of the school or college. The act

hasbeenwidelywelcomedbyvoluntarySENorganizations,andhasreceivedcross-party

support in the Parliament, since it has the potential of bringing substantial enhancements

in educational opportunities that are available for children and young people with either

disabilities or special educational needs. The act describes a person as having a disability

if he or she has a substantial and long term effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day

activities.

Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2001

The SEN Code of Practice is aimed at providing practical advice to educational entities

on conducting their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for special

educationalneedsofchildren.ThefirstCodeofPracticecameintoeffectin1994.ThisCode

helps schools and LEAs get the best value from the considerable resources and expertise

they invest to help children with special educational needs. This Code of Practice is a must

to abide by for LEAs, schools, early education settings and those who assist them – including

health and social services in guiding them on how to carry out their functions relating to

– 63 –

children with special educational needs. Further, every time the health and social services

provide help to settings, schools and LEAs, all aforementioned parties should consider this

Code of Practice.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Order 2005

The Special EducationalNeeds andDisability (Northern Ireland)Order 2005 (SENDO)

increased the rights of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) to attend mainstream

schools, and introduced disability discrimination laws for the entire education system in

Northern Ireland for the first time. This law provides new services for parents and for

schools, giving information and advice and help to avoid and resolve disputes between them.

It also increases right of appeal for parents to the SEN and Disability Tribunal. Education

and Library Boards have been wrested with new duties to comply with orders of the SEN

tribunal within set time limits. The order is the extension of the Special Educational Needs

and Disability Act 2001 (UK) to Northern Ireland.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1990 (IDEA)

Enacted in the USA, the four part (A-D) legislation ensures students with a disability are

provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to cater to their

individual needs. IDEA was previously known as Education for All Handicapped Children

Act (EHA) from 1970 to 1990. Overall, the goal of IDEA is to provide children with

disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students who do not have a disability.

Parts A& B are the two main parts out of four in the act. Part A covers the general provisions

of the law; Part B covers assistance for education of all children with disabilities; Part C

covers infants and toddlers with disabilities which includes children from birth to age three;

andPartDconsidersnationalsupportprogrammesadministeredatthefederallevel.Overall,

the act has not undergone notable changes since its enactment in 1975.

– 64 –

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)

ThisUSactofCongressre-authorizedtheElementaryandSecondaryEducationActwith

provisions applying to disadvantaged students. The NCLB supported standards-based

education reform based on the foundation that setting high standards and establishing

measurable goals lead to improving individual outcomes in education. The Act created

provisionsforallstudentsincludingsegmentsofstudentsidentifiedbasedontheirdisability,

language, race, socio-economic status, and ethnicity.

Chapter on ‘Principles of State Policy’ in the constitution of the Democratic Socialist

Republic of Sri Lanka

This chapter of the constitution clearly states that;

‘The state is pledged to establish in Sri Lanka a democratic Socialist Society,

the objectives of which include the complete eradication of illiteracy and the

assurance to all persons of the right to universal and equal access to education

at all levels’

Sri Lanka being a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified the

conventionontheRightsoftheChildhavingrecognizedtheRighttoEducationasabasic

human right.

Compulsory Education Ordinance 1997

The main objective of this act is to ensure that all children belonging to the age group

5-14 attend school. Special committees were setup to ensure the provision of compulsory

education. The regulation also indicates an intention of providing at least nine years of

compulsory schooling.

Protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, Act no. 28 of 1996

Similar to the Special Education Needs & Disability Act in the UK, the Act established

a “National Council for Persons with Disabilities” and gave it legal status to take action

regarding all matters concerning “the Promotion, Advancement and Protection of the Rights

– 65 –

of Persons with Disabilities”. The Act is, therefore, at the same time a comprehensive

statementofthenationalpolicyonrehabilitation.TheActdefinesapersonwithdisabilityas

anypersonwho,asaresultofadeficiencyinphysicalormentalcapability,isnotabletoensure

forhimselforherselfthenecessitiesofdailylife.Itisthusareasonablybroaddefinition,

encompassing the conventional socio-economic basis and definition of “handicap”. The

major provisions of the act include; (i) Establishment of a National Council for Persons

with Disabilities to take any and all necessary actions to promote and safeguard the interests

of people who have disabilities, (ii) Establishment of a “National Secretariat for Persons

with Disabilities” as the implementation arm of the said council, (iii) Establishment of a

“NationalFundforPersonswithDisabilities”tomanageallthefinancialtransactionsofthe

Council,RegistrationofNon-GovernmentalOrganizations(NGOs)workinginthedisability

fieldwiththeCouncil&ProtectionofIndividualRightsofpersonswithdisabilities.

The Sri Lankan policy on disability

Regulated by the Ministry of Social Welfare in 2003, Sri Lanka also has a disability policy

which emphasizes themaintenance of a better systemof inclusive education in order to

keep up with international developments, and most predominantly to keep up with the UN

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It states that children with disabilities obtain

education from government schools either via inclusion or in the ordinary classrooms where

schools are with special education units. The policy also points out that a fraction of children

who have a disability and are in schooling age who have not started schooling and children

with multiple severe disabilities have no schooling opportunity at all. In addition, they

highlight that there is a lack of human resources who have the expertise and capacity to deal

with SEN students who are not only in state schools but also in private schools.

Salamanca statement and the framework for action (1994)

This treaty relates to principals, policy and practice related to special needs education that

was agreed upon at the World Conference on Special Needs Education, held in Salamanca,

Spain. Representatives of 92 governments and 25 international organisations took part in

this conference. The statement emphasises on commitment to Education for All, recognising

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the necessity and urgency of providing education for all children, young people and adults

within the regular education system. It also states that those children with special educational

needs ‘must have access to regular schools’. Furthermore, the statement calls governments

to give the ‘highest policy and budgetary priority’ to improve education services so that all

childrencouldbeincluded,regardlessofdifferencesordifficulties,andto‘adoptasamatter

of law or policy the principle of inclusive education’, and enrol all children in ordinary

schools unless therewere compelling reasons for doingotherwise. It further emphasizes

to develop demonstration projects and encourage exchanges with countries with inclusive

schools. The statement also emphasises ensuring that organisations of disabled people, along

with parents and community bodies, are involved in planning and decision-making, and

that greater efforts are made towards pre-school strategies as well as vocational aspects of

inclusive education. The statement further ensures that both initial and in-service teacher

training address the provision of inclusive education. The Statement also calls on the

international community to endorse the approach of inclusive schooling, and to support the

development of special needs education as an integral part of all education programmes. The

Framework for Action says ‘inclusion and participation are essential to human dignity and

to the enjoyment and exercise of human rights.’

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ANNEXE 08: RESEARCHER PROFILES

Onalie Dissanayake: Primary Investigator

An experienced educator who has been in the industry for nearly 20 years working with SENs students as a teacher and an administrator. Is also trained in the International and National curricula and teaching methods by the Hamilton Trust, UK and the National Institute of Education (NIE), Sri Lanka respectively. B.A. (Jayewardenepura), Dip. Child Psychology (Fairfax, USA), Dip. Pre-school Education (Fairfax, USA), Dip. Mont. (Fairfax, USA), PQHRM (IPM), Dip. Proj.Mgt. (Wigan and Leigh College, UK).

Currently employed as the Deputy Principal at a Group of Schools which is teaching both the National and the British National Curricula.

Migara T. Panditaratne: Investigator

Experienced IT professional with tutoring experience of 4 ½ years’ in ICT. Member of professional bodies such as the BCS,ACS,IEEE&CSSL.A+certifiedtechnician.Holdsa Bachelor’s Degree in IT (The Charles Sturt University, Australia) & a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science (University of Moratuwa).

Currently employed as the Manager – IT in a leading local pharmaceutical importing & manufacturing company with 11 ½ years’ experience.

Chathurika Waas: Investigator

Over5years’ experience in aglobal auditfirmprovidingrisk advisory services to leading local and international companies.Specializedinbanking,insuranceandeducationsectors. A passed finalist of the Chartered Institute ofManagement Accountants (UK). Holds a B.Sc. (joint major) degree in Industrial Management and Statistics from the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka.

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Chaturanga B. Adikari: Investigator

Specialized in Computer systems and networking. B.Sc.Sp.(Hons) in IT.Worked in the capacity of an IT/Media/Project coordinator for several NGOs and as a voluntaryworker in many projects during post war period.Was attached to the Sri Lanka Navy as a direct Lieutenant. Lecturing experience of 1 year at an IT institute and with 1 year at the Sri Lanka Navy.Also, a free-lance IT consultant.

Suranjan Indika: Investigator

Over 10 years’ experience in a telecommunication fieldproviding configuration management, fault managementand network planning services to a leading local telecommunication company. Specialized in Electronics,Telecommunication NDT (University of Moratuwa) and Graduate Diploma, Engineering Council, UK. BIT Diploma (University of Colombo).

Indika Jayasekara: Investigator

Eight years’ experience in Financial Management and B.Sc. (Management) (Jayewardenepura) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK). Associate Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.