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Revised June 2013 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by RTI International. Prioritizing Reform, Innovation and Opportunities for Reaching Indonesia’s Teachers, Administrators, and Students (USAID PRIORITAS) Inclusive Education Policy Study

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Page 1: Opportunities for Reaching Indonesia’s Teachers ...prioritaspendidikan.org/file/Inclusive_Education_Report_English_FINA… · Inclusive Education Policy Study Contract AID-497-C-12-00003

 

Laporan Analisis Situasi Gender Terkait Permasalahan Proses Belajar dan Prestasi Murid

Revised June 2013 

This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development.  

It was prepared by RTI International.  

Prioritizing Reform, Innovation and Opportunities for Reaching

Indonesia’s Teachers, Administrators, and Students

(USAID PRIORITAS)

Inclusive Education Policy Study

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Inclusive Education Policy Study

Contract AID-497-C-12-00003

December 2012

Prepared for

USAID/Indonesia

Prepared by

RTI International 3040 Cornwallis Road

Post Office Box 12194 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194

Prioritizing Reform, Innovation, and Opportunities for Reaching Indonesia’s Teachers, Administrators, and Students (USAID PRIORITAS)

The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United 

States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. 

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Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... II 

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ......................................................................................................... V 

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICY STUDY REPORT: MAIN REPORT .............................................................. 1 

1  INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 

1.1  OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................................ 1 

1.2  METHODOLOGY/APPROACH FOR SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS ........................................................................... 1 

2  BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................... 2 

2.1  LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION .................................................... 3 

2.2  DEFINITION ........................................................................................................................................ 5 

3  ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICY ............................... 5 

3.1  COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION.......................................................................... 6 

3.2  ACCESS TO LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS TO EDUCATION ........................................................................ 6 

3.3  TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SCHOOLS WHICH PROVIDE INCLUSIVE EDUCATION ............................................. 7 

3.3.1  Competency of Teachers and Special Tutor‐Teachers (GPK) ..................................................... 8 

3.3.2  Learning Strategies for Inclusive Education ............................................................................... 9 

3.3.3  Facilities and Support for Implementation of Inclusive Education ............................................. 9 

3.3.4  Learning Impact for the Learners............................................................................................. 10 

3.4  ACHIEVEMENT OF THE INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM .......................................................................... 10 

3.5  EFFORTS OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION 

IMPLEMENTATION .......................................................................................................................................... 11 

3.6  CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 12 

3.7  RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 13 

REFERENCES: ....................................................................................................................................... 14 

ATTACHMENT 1: LIST OF AREAS VISITED FOR THE STUDY ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICY ............... 15 

ATTACHMENT 2: LIST OF SCHOOLS VISITED FOR THE STUDY ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICY ........... 16 

ATTACHMENT 3: LIST OF AREA PARTNERS OF USAID PRIORITAS VISITED FOR CAPACITY ASSESSMENT AT 

DISTRICT LEVEL: ................................................................................................................................... 17 

ATTACHMENT 4: LIST OF KEY QUESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICY .............. 18 

ATTACHMENT 5: LIST OF QUESTIONS FOR CAPACITY ASSESSMENT AT DISTRICT LEVEL FOR INCLUSIVE 

EDUCATION ......................................................................................................................................... 19 

ATTACHMENT 6: RESULTS OF SCHOOL VISITS ....................................................................................... 20 

ATTACHMENT 7: RESULTS OF CAPACITY ASSESSMENT AT DISTRICT LEVEL FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION . 25 

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Executive Summary

The Ministerial Regulation (No. 70, 2009) on the implementation of inclusive education has prompted provincial and district government, as well as organizations with concern for learners with special needs, to increase their cooperation in the effort to improve access to quality education for learners with special needs. Since 2012 the Government has also given an annual award to recognize individuals, regional heads, higher education institutions, and principals, who have shown concern and have developed successful approaches to promote Inclusive Education within the school environment. This award will hopefully encourage others to adopt similar approaches in other areas.

In line with the project’s objectives to increase access to quality education for Indonesian children, USAID PRIORITAS has taken this cross-cutting issue into account in developing its plans, programs and activities.

The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which Indonesia’s inclusive education policy has been implemented within the Ministry of Education, in provinces and districts and at the school level.

To achieve the objective, the study was conducted using two methods: (1) interviews and (2) direct observations in schools which profess to provide inclusive education. Interviews were conducted with two groups of respondents: (1) planners and managers responsible for the Inclusive Education program at provincial and district levels, in provincial and district/city education offices, and (2) individuals directly involved in the organization of teaching and learning activities in schools which implement inclusive education. This second group consists of: principals, special education teachers (guru pembimbing khusus, or GPK), classroom teachers, students, school committee members and parents of children with special needs.

Data on the implementation of the policy were also collected through observation. The practice of inclusive education was observed at school level, along with the reaction of students in general toward learners with special needs when they participated together in learning activities at schools with inclusive education programs, as well as the response of general learners towards their peers with special needs.

Interviews and observations were conducted in two provinces which are implementing the national policy on inclusive education, supported in each case by a Governor’s Decree and in districts which already have a Head of District’s Decree on inclusive education. Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar Districts were selected in the Province of Aceh. In East Java Province, observations and interviews were conducted in Mojokerto and Sidoarjo. Interviews were conducted with an emphasis on two main topics: the informants’ understanding and implementation of the inclusive education policy (1) within the education sector generally and (2) within the school specifically.

Brief interviews were also conducted with the officials in charge of primary and junior secondary education in the district education offices, as well as principals and teachers in the seven USAID PRIORITAS partner provinces (Aceh, North Sumatra, Banten, Java West, Central Java, East Java, and South Sulawesi), and 23 partner districts.

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The scope of this study is based on Article 1 and 2 of the regulation. Article 1 states:

Inclusive education is an education system that provides the opportunity for learners who have specific disorders, but have the intelligence and/or special abilities to participate in normal education or learning processes in an educational environment together with regular students.

Article 2 paragraph (1) states that the purpose of Inclusive Education is to:

...provide the widest possible opportunity for all learners with physical, emotional, mental and social needs or special abilities and academic potential to receive quality education in accordance with their needs and abilities.

This study focuses on schools which provide inclusive education. These are regular public schools that provide education for learners with special needs together with other regular students.

The findings and conclusions of the study of inclusive education policy implementation are as follows:

1. The implementation of inclusive education in the four districts visited is already in accordance to the regulations, including Ministerial Regulation No.70 of 2009, but the quality of the implementation varies in accordance with local commitment and the resources available in each region.

2. The provision of facilities and support for the implementation of inclusive education remains incidental, and is not fully provided for in the school budgeting system. Of the 23 USAID PRIORITAS partner district involved in the assessment, only five districts had budgeted for inclusive education in the district education office annual work plan and strategic plan.

3. Not all of the schools which provide inclusive education create curricula appropriate to the needs of learners with special needs. This is related to the lack of capacity of teachers and principals.

4. Limited understanding of inclusive education among principals and teachers, especially in small towns has an impact on the access of learners with special needs to an appropriate education service.

5. Teachers with the competency to handle learners with special needs are not widely available or able to perform their function; many special tutor teachers also take second jobs as a classroom teacher and vice versa.

6. A negative stigma prevails in society toward learners with special needs. Furthermore, the community is general is are not aware that in addition to special schools for handicapped children, there are public schools that provide inclusive education for children with special needs.

7. Normal students in general do not feel disturbed by the presence of learners with special needs among them or in their classroom and vice versa.

8. Although there are several NGOs and development partners working at local level to support the implementation of inclusive education, there is little coordination

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between them, and the local education offices have not yet facilitated coordination with them.

Recommendations:

Based on these findings and conclusions, we recommend that the USAID PRIORITAS program take the following measures:

1. Review existing training modules and the OVC study program as an input in the development of PRIORITAS programs for learners with special needs in partner schools;

2. Train teachers and prospective teachers about managing inclusive education, including how to handle learners with special needs in the classroomand how to develop or modify the syllabus and lessons for learners with special needs;

3. Train principals on making school policy and allocating a budget to support inclusive education;

4. Train the school committee, board of education, and parents about inclusive education in partner areas/schools in order to increase awareness and understanding as well as knowledge of what to do in relation to education access for children with special needs;

5. Engage in a dialogue with the PKLK (Special Education and Special Services) Directorate of MOEC to get input on designing programs that can further support inclusive education.

6. Share good experiences in inclusive education with local stakeholders;

7. Collaborate with local government in planning and budgeting for inclusive education in line with the requests and needs of districts and provinces.

 

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Abbreviations and Acronyms

 

ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

APBD Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah (Local Budget)

Depdiknas Departemen Pendidikan Nasional (National Education Department)

Dikdasmen Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah (Primary and Junior Secondary Education - JSE)

Dirjen Direktorat Jenderal (Directorate General)

DKI Daerah Khusus Ibu Kota (Special Region of Jakarta Capital City)

GBK Guru Bimbingan Khusus (Special Tutor)

HKI Helen Keller International

IDP International Development Partners (Mitra Pembangunan Internasional)

IDPN Intradialytic Parenteral Nutrition

Kab Kabupaten (District)

Kemendikbud Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Ministry of Education and Culture - MOEC)

Kemendiknas Kementerian Pendidikan Nasional(Ministry of National Education -MONE)

LIRP Lingkungan Inklusif Ramah terhadap Pembelajaran (Inclusive Friendly Environment for Learning)

OVC Oppornities for Vulnerable Children

Perda Peraturan Daerah (Regional Regulation)

Pergub Peraturan Gubernur (Governor’s Regulation)

Permendiknas Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan Nasional (Ministerial Education Regulation)

PLB Pendidikan Luar Biasa (Special/Exceptional Education)

PKLK Pendidikan Khusus dan Layanan Khusus (Special Education and Special Services), MOEC

RKAS Rencana Kerja dan Anggaran Sekolah (School Plan and Budget)

RKS Rencana Kerja Schools (School Plan)

RSUD Rumah Sakit Unit Daerah (Regional Hospital Unit)

SISDIKNAS Sistim Pendidikan Nasional (National Education System)

SD Schools Dasar (Primary School)

SK Surat Keputusan (Decree)

SLB Sekolah Luar Biasa (Special school)

SDLB Sekolah Dasar Luar Biasa (Special Needs Primary School)

SMA Sekolah Menengah Atas (High School)

SMK Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (Vocational High School)

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SMP Sekolah Menengah Pertama (Junior Secondary School)

TK Taman Kanak Kanak (Kindergarten)

TTI Teacher Training Institution

UNESCO United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization

USAID United States Agency for International Development

UU Undang Undang (Laws)

UUD Undang Undang Dasar (Indonesian Constitution)

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Study on Inclusive Education Policy - November 2012 1

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICY STUDY REPORT: MAIN REPORT

1 Introduction

The study was conducted in two provinces of Aceh and East Java. From each of these two provinces, two USAID PRIORITAS partner districts were selected, both of which are implementing inclusive education policy. One or two schools were selected from each of the four districts. In total seven schools, which are nominated providers of inclusive education, were sampled. In addition, information was gathered through capacity assessment of partner districts in the other seven project provinces.

1.1 Objectives

This study on inclusive education policy is intended to identify policy on inclusive education in Indonesia and how that policy is being implemented at district and school level. In particular, this study aims to determine the extent to which:

1. There is understanding about inclusive education among principals, teachers, and communities;

2. Access to quality education is provided to children with special needs;

3. Inclusive education is being implemented in schools which are designated as providers of inclusive education, particularly in terms of:

Teacher competencies

Facility and infrastructure

Learning methods

4. The impact of such learning on students in general

5. Efforts are being made by the teachers and schools to achieve the goal of inclusive education.

1.2 Methodology/Approach for Situational Analysis

To achieve the above objectives, the study employed the following methods;

1. Literature/Desk Study to examine written documentation on existing policy issued by the Minister of Education and Culture, and local regulations issued by Governor and/or Bupati/Mayor on the implementation of inclusive education.

2. In-depth interviews with principals, regular teachers, tutor teachers/special tutor teachers and school committee members and parents in primary and junior secondary schools (in the province of Aceh and East Java) to obtain more detailed information regarding school management, the teaching and learning processes and government support in relation to inclusive education.

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3. Direct observation of the teaching and learning processes in schools which are designated providers of inclusive education.

4. Discussions with Provincial and District Education Offices and the Program Coordinators of Helen Keller International in Aceh and East Java concerning their experience in working together to implement inclusive education.

The report highlights the findings and analysis of the implementation of inclusive education studies in four districts in the two provinces, namely Aceh and East Java provinces. In addition, some of the information was obtained from the results of the capacity assessment in the rest of the 23 USAID PRIORITAS partner districts in seven provinces.

2 Background

Every child is unique and different. Each has different skills, learns in different ways and in different stages. Therefore, an educational model which can accommodate differences that exist between children is needed, so that they are able to better develop their talents and potential in the academic, social, emotional and physical fields. This is important because a child's academic potential cannot be developed in isolation from their social, emotional and physical potential, as they are interdependent aspects in the development of the child. To ensure that all children have access to quality education, education policies and practices should be inclusive of all learners, including students with special disabilities. Inclusive education for all can pave the way to prosperity for individuals and society in general. Therefore, the responsibility lies in our hands to ensure all parties involved in education work together to promote a perception of 'difference' as something that can enhance learning and knowledge and is not a barrier.

Many members of the public are still unaware that, in addition to segregated schools or special schools for children with handicaps/special needs, public schools can also provide inclusive education for these children. Society in general still has a negative attitude towards people with physical and mental disorders and disabilities. Such an attitude is mainly due to lack of knowledge and/or understanding of people with disorders/disabilities, and not because society has bad intentions towards people with special needs due to their disorders/disabilities. However, it must be admitted that there is still a negative stigma (such as ugly, stupid, and embarrassing) within society attached to students with disabilities or special needs. As with the general public, families who have members with a disability/handicap often also display adverse attitudes, such as hiding these abnormalities because it is considered a family disgrace. This is not only because of lack of understanding and awareness from parents, but it is also due to social pressure and/or their own misconceptions.

Implementation of quality education for all students in an inclusive setting is a challenge. Teaching learners with special needs is more difficult than educating regular students; it requires expertise in special education and it often costs more to provide the special equipment they need. Ideally, inclusive education is based on the right of children to obtain a quality education. However, we need to be aware at every level of political and other interests, such as the need to get funding or awards. Inclusion is an issue in education linked

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to Education For All and the right of every child to be educated regardless of differences of any type. Therefore, inclusion should become a normal characteristic of schools in the future. Teachers should be able to teach in an inclusive setting, serving the needs of all students, as well as having the facilities and other support to make school accessible to all children, including those with special disabilities/needs. This is in accordance with the law which mandates that without exception every child has the right to a quality education.

In the last few years, the issue of inclusive education has been highlighted in the national education system. A great deal of attention has been directed towards how students with special needs can get an education in public schools, not in special classes or in segregated special needs schools. Inclusion is based on an ideological belief that every citizen of the school community, principals, teachers, school committee, school administrators, students, and parents must recognize their shared responsibility for educating all students so that they develop their full potential.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC-Kemdikbud), in 2012 there were an estimated1,544,184 children with various special needs aged between 5 and 18 years, of which 330,764 (21%) were registered with MOEC. Of the above number (330,764 children with special needs), only 85,737 go to school regularly. This means, there are 245,027 students with registered special needs that are not being educated in school, either in special schools or general schools which provide inclusive education. The data show that in 2012 only 25.92% of students with special needs had access to schooling despite the regulation which guarantees their right.

With assistance from USAID, the Government of Indonesia has formed a partnership with Helen Keller International (HKI) to support the development of an inclusive education program in six provinces. These are Jakarta, West Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Aceh, and South Sulawesi. Two of these provinces (Aceh and East Java) were visited in the context of the study. In 2012, two districts in each of these provinces (Aceh and East Java), Aceh Besar and Sidoarjo, received an Inclusive Education Award. In order to achieve this progress, the district governments of Aceh Besar and Sidoarjo have been working on this initiative since 2007, which is prior to the issuance of the Ministerial Regulation No. 70/2009 on Inclusive Education. The commitment of local governments and school officials to work parents, the community, and supporting agencies has encouraged and accelerated the development of inclusive education.

2.1 Legal Framework for the Implementation of Inclusive Education

The implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia has strong foundations in philosophical, juridical, pedagogical, as well as empirical terms.

As for the philosophical basis, Indonesian is a civilized nation with the motto of 'Unity in Diversity', meaning that, as a nation, we recognize that diversity in ethnicity, dialect, customs, beliefs, traditions, and culture are the nation's wealth, and uphold the unity and integrity of the Republic of Indonesia.

For the national juridical basis, there are eight legal regulations relevant to the implementation of inclusive education, as follows:

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1. The Basic Law 1945 (amendment) article 31, paragraphs 1 & 2;

2. Law No.4 of 1997 on People with Disabilities article 5;

3. Law No.23 of 2002 on Child Protection, articles 48 & 49;

4. Director General of Ministry of Education Basic Education, Circular No.380/C.C6/MN/2003 January 20, 2003 on the development and implementation of inclusive education at district level;

5. Law No.20 of 2003 on the National Education System article 5, paragraphs 1, 2, 3, & 4;

6. The Bandung Declaration dated 8 to 14 August 2004: "Indonesia Towards Inclusive Education";

7. Government Regulation No.70 of 2009 on Inclusive Education for students with handicap but having special intelligence and/or talents;

8. Government Regulation no. 17 of 2010 on Education Management.

In addition to the national regulations, for the implementation of inclusive education at provincial and district levels, regulations made by governors or district heads are very important to serve as a legal framework for the inclusive education program. Some provinces already have governors’ edicts for the implementation of inclusive education, including:

1. In Aceh, Governor’s Regulation No. 4 of 2011 on the Implementation of Inclusive Education,

2. In Aceh Besar district, Regulation/Qanun No. 6 of 2010 on Special Education.

3. In Jakarta, Governor’s Regulation No. 116 of 2007 on the Implementation of Inclusive Education,

4. In East Java Governor’s Regulation No. 6 of 2011 on the Implementation of Inclusive Education,

5. In South Sulawesi, Governor’s Regulation No. 31 Year 2011 on the Implementation of Inclusive Education,

6. In Sidoarjo, Bupati’s decree, Local Regulation No. 6 of 2011, on Special Education and Special Education Services,

Through these regulations, each region ideally should have their own legal framework to appoint tutor-teachers for school children with special needs, while the program should be properly funded in the regional budget (APBD).

The pedagogical foundation: Article 3 of Law No. 20 of 2003 on the National Education System states that education is to develop students' potential in order to become people of faith, with fear of God Almighty, noble, healthy, knowledgeable, skilled, creative, independent, democratic and responsible citizens. So, through education, learners with special needs should be able to become democratic and responsible citizens, individuals who are able to appreciate differences and participate in the community. This goal is impossible to achieve if they are isolated from their peers by being placed in special schools. They should be given an opportunity to interact with their peers and students in general.

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The empirical foundation: Research on inclusion has taken place widely in Western countries since the 1980s and large-scale studies have been led by the National Academy of Sciences (UA). The results demonstrate that the classification and placement of children with disabilities into special schools, classrooms or other special facilities is ineffective and discriminative. This study recommends that segregated special education only be provided for limited types of disabilities (Heller, Holtzman & Messick, 1982). Several experts suggest that it is very difficult to identify and place children with disabilities correctly, because they have very varied characteristics (Baker, Wang, and Walberg, 1994/1995).

2.2 Definition

There are several definitions on inclusive education which can be used as a reference for this study, among others:

a) "The definition of inclusive education is an education system that provides opportunities for all learners who have disorders and have normal intelligence and/or special talents to participate in education or learning in an educational environment together with regular students" (MOEC ministerial regulation no. 70, 2009).

b) "Special education is the provision of education for learners with disabilities or students who have extraordinary intelligence in an inclusive or a special education unit at the level of primary and secondary education" (GOI Education Law 2003, Article 15).

c) “A process of addressing and responding to the diversity of needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, and reducing exclusion from education. It involves changes and modifications in content, approaches, structures and strategies, with a common vision which covers all children of the appropriate age range and a conviction that it is the responsibility of the state to educate all children” (UNESCO: Guidelines for Inclusion: ensuring access to education for all).

So, in summary, it can be said that inclusive education is an education which gives a chance to students with special needs to receive an education in an environment together with regular students, so that they can develop their full potential.

3 Analysis of the Results of the Study on Inclusive Education Policy

The results of interviews conducted with teachers and principals revealed that there are two main things considered as problems in the implementation of inclusive education.

First, the limited capacity of teachers and special counselors or tutor-teachers for students with special needs. Most teachers have no background of Special Needs Education. This is consistent with the results of the capacity assessment conducted in the 23 USAID PRIORITAS partner districts, which found that 10 of 23 district education offices and 10 of 23 principals and teachers expressed the need for inclusive education training.

Second, related to the availability of equipment and infrastructure to provide quality inclusive education services. Each type of "disability" requires specific tools and some require modification of the school buildings and environment so that these students can access the classroom and other school areas with ease. However sometimes this cannot yet

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be provided by the school. For example, one school provides a "ramp" to the school yard so that students with wheelchairs can easily access the rooms. It also provides reading materials in Braille for blind learners. A lack of physical support may result in teachers paying less attention to students with special needs.

In addition, the various numbers of students with special needs within one class determined the effectiveness of learning in schools where observations were conducted during the study. It was found that there were up to three students with various special needs in each class in the schools who were conducting inclusive education.

From interviews with parents of students with special needs and the school committee, it was found that many students with special needs come from middle and lower income families, so families and the community must have a good understanding of the implementation of inclusive education. Parents expect their children to be able to join educational activities in schools, but, if they have to bear the cost of their children's education, parents may decline and sometimes will prevent their children from attending school.

The followings are findings from the study on inclusive education policy in detail.

3.1 Community Understanding on Inclusive Education

Results of interviews with various parties related to the implementation of inclusive education showed a diverse understanding, although in principle most are similar in meaning. Below are some understandings of inclusive education expressed in interviews:

1. Inclusive education is an educational service that includes students with special needs learning together with their ‘normal’ peers in regular classes close to where they live.

2. Inclusive education is the provision of the best possible access to all children to obtain a quality education.

3. Inclusive education is the provision of education services to suit the needs of all children.

4. Inclusive education is an educational system that is unified (integrated) between learners with special needs and those without who should both be served concurrently.

5. Inclusive education is an education service that does not discriminate against students on the basis of abnormalities either physical or social.

During the interviews, some parties did not fully understand the true concept of inclusive education so that they needed some explanations at the beginning of the interview.

3.2 Access to Learners with Special Needs to Education

Beginning four years ago, students with special needs in Indonesia received an official guarantee from the Government through a Ministerial Regulation that they would have access to education. However, implementation in the field does not yet reflect this guarantee. Not all districts provide schools which have an inclusive education program, especially in small districts. The results of in-depth interviews with parents of children with special needs show that they experience difficulties in getting their children into regular

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schools so that their children can join the educational processes together with ‘normal’ students. It takes a considerable struggle by the parents to obtain information about which schools might accept students with special needs. Parents also experience rejection in some schools. This illustrates the fact that schools which provide inclusive education are not commonly known in the community. In a city, most inclusive education initiatives come from private schools which have teachers with a special needs education background and usually these schools are committed to providing educational services to children with special needs.

This is in line with findings of our assessment of district capacity in regions where USAID PRIORITAS operates. Only nine out of 23 district education offices stated that they have schools which provide inclusive education. Thus, there is still a lot of work to be done in the future to encourage many more school managers to make inclusive education accessible to local children with special needs.

From the results of the visit to the province of Aceh and East Java, special disabilities were described as autism, ADHD/hyperactivity, cerebral palsy, slow learning, deaf and physically disabled. The principal and teachers interviewed said that their schools could not accept all students with special needs in accordance with the list provided in the Permendiknas (Minister of Education Regulation), due to limited resources, facilities, and infrastructure in their schools.

Here are some of the difficulties experienced by learners with special needs in accessing education:

1. Many parents prevent their children with special needs from attending normal school due to embarrassment. There are misconceptions in some local cultures that disabled children are a disgrace to the family, so parents try to hide them from public view.

2. Lack of public awareness about the issue of children with special needs leads to rejection of these children who want to access education in normal schools, particularly due to fear that their disabilities will affect the school’s performance.

3. Limited number of schools which provide inclusive education, especially in small towns. Families who want to send their children with special needs to local schools have difficulty accessing education for their children.

4. Limited understanding among district education officials about inclusive education as they do not prioritize it in planning and budgeting.

3.3 Teaching and Learning in Schools Which Provide Inclusive Education

In a discussion with principals of school already providing inclusive education, almost all of them demonstrated a strong commitment to the implementation of inclusive education in their school. There are two reasons why a school becomes an inclusive education provider. First, the school is appointed by local government or the Ministry of Education as a pilot school for inclusive education. Secondly, the school takes their own initiative and volunteers to become a provider for inclusive education because there are children with special needs in the school and they have to be educated.

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The principals also demonstrated their commitment associated with the delivery of inclusive education in their schools by giving approval to the children with special needs to be admitted to the school, although at first the process was very difficult as experienced by one elementary school. In the first year the school announced that they were accepting registrations for learners with special needs, the number of new ‘normal’ students decreased by 50 percent. Principals need to ensure that students with special needs can follow the regular teaching and learning processes, and teachers at school can give special attention to students with special needs.

Factors affecting the quality of learning include the capacity of teachers and special-tutor teachers (GPK), special facilities and infrastructure, teaching methods. The implications for the students are explained below.

3.3.1 Competency of Teachers and Special Tutor-Teachers (GPK)

According to the Head of Kindergarten/Basic Education (Kepala Bidang TK/SD Dinas Pendidikan) at one Education Office, the number of special-tutor teachers working in schools which provide inclusive education is too limited. Teachers who teach students with special needs are typically regular teachers who also teach regular students. "Actually, we need fresh graduates to be trained as GPK teachers. This should be a requirement for being a GPK. However this has not been the case to date, and there are still many obstacles," he said. This situation occurs in nearly all areas where inclusive education is practiced. However, the most important factor is to get teachers with a willingness and capacity to guide learners with special needs.

1. All schools which provide inclusive education service already provide GPK teachers for learners with special needs, although the number was felt to be insufficient, especially if the school had more than three students with special needs in one class. As a result, the schools collaborate with financially-able parents of students with special needs. These families provide a GPK teacher for their children and this GPK is also assigned to teach other students with special needs in the same classroom.

2. Not all schools which provide inclusive education have special tutor teachers with the background and training in delivering special education. This has an impact on the learning of learners with special needs, and the teaching learning process is not optimal.

3. Principals and teachers appointed as GPK regularly receive information about inclusive education, although the extent of this varies from one school to another. Some have received training and this improves their competency. But other have just had socialization about special education, which has raised their awareness but not improved their competency.

4. Not all special tutor teachers are supported by a decree (Surat Keputusan) from the local Head of Education, so there are special tutor-teachers who double as a classroom teachers, and vice versa, classroom teachers who serve as special tutor-teachers.

5. The ratio of teachers with the ability to teach learners with special needs compared to the number of students with special needs needing support in the school is insufficient,

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especially for schools that have more than ten students with special needs; sometimes they have only one tutor-teacher capable of delivering special education.

6. Teachers, especially non GPK teachers, who have to deliver inclusive education in the classroom find it difficult to explain concepts in the various subjects due to their limitation in articulating the concept to students with special needs. This difficulty occurs due to the teachers’ limited capacity to understand the characteristics of students with special needs.

From the findings above, it can be concluded that we still need a lot of teachers with competency related to education for children with special needs and that the teachers should also have a special educational background.

3.3.2 Learning Strategies for Inclusive Education

Teaching at a school which provides Inclusive Education for students with diverse backgrounds creates an interesting challenge. It requires varied learning strategies so that all students can learn comfortably. In this study we discovered several learning strategies that have been applied to these schools, as follows:

1. Some schools have tried to implement the standard curriculum and also individual learning. With this strategy; in the morning, students with special needs will sit to learn together with regular students in the classroom, and then in the afternoon the students with special needs will sit together in a separate group to enrich their understanding of the material and develop their talents and abilities.

2. Learners with special needs are treated equally by the tutor-teacher (GPK/GBK) and by other teachers. If the learners with special needs cannot understand the concepts being taught, the teacher will add extra hours of study in the afternoon for them or they are grouped in another special room.

3. Support for learners with special needs is based on the recommendation of teacher assessments conducted at the beginning of the school year and the evaluation of academic progress of each child.

3.3.3 Facilities and Support for Implementation of Inclusive Education

Our interviews with teachers, principals, and students with special needs as well as our observations in schools which provide inclusive education show that infrastructure plays a very important part in supporting the quality of learning for students with special needs. Therefore, the schools which have been appointed to implement inclusive education should pay attention to this from the beginning. Below are some of the findings related to the implementation of infrastructure and facilities requirements in inclusive education:

1. Principals and teachers understand that the provision of learning aids and adequate textbooks is a necessity in the implementation of inclusive education.

2. Some schools which provide inclusive education have not made a budget allocation for the implementation of this special requirement in their school budget.

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3. The special infrastructure needed is still regarded as incidental. If there is information about the support that the school needs to make for inclusive education, the school can then make a proposal to provide that.

4. Schools which provide inclusive education have limited facilities and infrastructure, which results in less than optimal learning for students with special needs.

3.3.4 Learning Impact for the Learners

The main barrier for children with special needs to access quality education is not their disability but how the social environment accepts them, how people act towards them. There is even some negative resistance from within the children themselves, caused by the negative view from society towards them. Education should guarantee that every child gets the opportunity to develop their full potential. From observation in schools which provides inclusive education and interviews with learners with special needs and normal students, we obtained some information on the impact of positive and negative lessons for the learners as follows:

1. Learners with special needs who come from low-income families tend to have less self-confidence. One cause is that the classroom teacher often has to pay more attention to the whole class, and students with special needs feel they get less attention.

2. Some learners with special needs who were interviewed said that they are only close to their next-desk peer; in general they did not know the rest of their classmates. Some felt rejected, others felt harassed by their fellow classmates. However, in general, students with special needs felt happy to attend school together with their normal peers.

3. Learners with special needs in general do not receive harsh treatment from their peers in the classroom, but more generally receive help from their classmates.

4. From interviews conducted with normal students, most of them said they had no problems and the learning process is not affected at all by the presence of students with special needs in class. They are reportedly happy to help if the learners with special needs need help and only a small percentage commented that they do not know them and do not know their names.

3.4 Achievement of the Inclusive Education Program

To improve the government's response to the service needs of learners with special needs, the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemdikbud) has encouraged local governments to support the movement for inclusive education for children with disabilities or special needs. The government has also formed a partnership with Helen Keller International (HKI) with the support of USAID to support the development of the inclusive education program in six provinces namely: Aceh, Jakarta, West Java, DIY Yogyakarta, East Java, and South Sulawesi.

Discussions with provincial and district education officers and program coordinators of HKI provided information on the progress of inclusive education programs in some provinces and districts, including the following USAID PRIORITAS partners:

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1. The provinces of East Java, South Sulawesi, and Aceh already have regulations to ensure inclusive education, but the regulations have not yet been socialized and are still in the process of revision. Meanwhile West Java is still in the process of drafting similar legislation.

2. Aceh Besar and Sidoarjo districts already have regional regulations (Perbup) for the implementation of inclusive education.

3. Central Java, South Sulawesi and Aceh provinces have developed a framework for implementation of Inclusive Education for the period 2010-2013.

4. Nganjuk and Tuban are conducting trials for of inclusive education in model villages with cooperation between local government, the Education Office and HKI.

5. East Java and South Sulawesi have prepared draft technical regulations for inclusive education.

To improve the performance of the inclusive education program in some areas, stronger cooperation could be created between regional government, USAID PRIORITAS and HKI, especially in the areas where HKI and USAID PRIORITAS are both supported by USAID.

3.5 Efforts of Teachers and School Management to Achieve the Goal of Inclusive Education Implementation

There are still many problems in the implementation of the Inclusive Education policy, as the program still needs more comprehensive organization. Below, some of the efforts that have been made by several schools are listed, including the efforts of principals and teachers to help achieve the objectives of the Inclusive Education policy:

1. Prior to participating in learning in an inclusive classroom, an assessment of learners with special needs is conducted in a special assessment room, to create a lesson plan for learners with special needs by teachers and special tutor-teachers (GPK).

2. The curriculum, including evaluation, is modified for learners with special needs to accommodate lower standards than for normal students.

3. Learners with special needs normally sit together in the same classroom with the other students. But twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the teacher provides tutorials for learners with special needs.

4. The mentoring/learning process is conducted in three groups, namely Class 1 and 2, Class 3 and 4, and Class 5 and 6, each class with two teachers.

5. In the afternoon, students with special needs learn outside the classroom while playing.

6. Each inclusive class is handled by two teachers, consisting of a subject teacher (for junior secondary level) or a classroom teacher (for pimary level) and a special tutor-teacher.

7. In addition to learning the basics of literacy and mathematics, vocational instruction is also provided to develop interests and talents among students with special needs.

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8. Three times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) the principal conducts an assessment of learning in the classroom to observe the progress of learners with special needs.

9. In cooperation with the hospital, the teacher provides additional nutrition for learners with special needs.

10. The school proposes the appointment of special tutor-teachers for learners with special needs to the Education Office.

11. The school provides additional salary for teachers working in inclusive classrooms.

12. In cooperation with parents of students with special needs, the families help to provide special tutor-teachers for children.

3.6 Conclusions

Based on the results of our visit to the two provinces, it is clear that Aceh and East Java provinces already have regulations to support this program, while the four districts, namely Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, Mojokerto and Sidoarjo, are implementing the program. Combined with findings from the capacity assessment in 23 USAID PRIORITAS partner districts, the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. The implementation of inclusive education in four districts refers to the existing policy, such as the Ministerial Regulation No.70 of 2009 and other relevant regulations. However, the results observed in the field demonstrate that the quality of policy implementation varies in accordance with local commitment and the availability of resources in each district.

2. The provision of the facilities and support required for the implementation of inclusive education generally takes place in an ad hoc manner and is not yet included in the school budgeting system. Of the 23 USAID PRIORITAS partner districts included in the district capacity assessment, only five districts have an inclusive education program and have included this program in their budget and working plan/strategic plan.

3. Not all schools which provide inclusive education have created curricula and learning programs for learners with special needs. This problem is associated with the limited capacity of teachers and principals.

4. Limited understanding of inclusive education among principals and teachers, especially in small towns, creates difficulty of access for learners with special needs to education.

5. Teacher competency in handling students with special needs varies; there are many regular classroom teachers handling learners with special needs.

6. The stigma of society is not helpful for learners with special needs (e.g. they are considered as stupid, useless, and a disgrace to the family) and many members of the public have no idea that, in addition to special schools, there are also regular schools with programs for those with special needs.

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7. Regular learners are normally not bothered by the presence of students with special needs in their classroom and vice versa. Moreover, the presence of students with special needs has fostered a sense of sympathy and mutual help among them.

8. Although there are several NGOs and development partners at the local level to support the implementation of inclusive education, there is no coordination between them.

3.7 Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions of this policy study of inclusive education and its pilot implementation in two districts in the provinces of East Java and two districts in the province of Aceh, it is recommended that the USAID PRIORITAS program consider the followings:

1. To review the training modules and study the existing OVC program as an input in the development of PRIORITAS programs related to an inclusive education program in partner schools.

2. To provide training for teachers and prospective teachers on inclusive education, including how to handle students with special needs in their classroom teaching as well as the development/modification of the syllabus and lesson plans to adapt to those with special needs.

3. To train school principals on how to make changes in school policies and budgets to accommodate the interests of inclusive education.

4. To train School Committees, Boards of Education and parents about inclusive education in partner districts/schools, to inform them about what to do in relation to children with special needs and to increase empathy for parents of children with special needs.

5. To engage in dialogue with the Directorate of PKLK to gain input for designing PRIORITAS inclusive programs to ensure sustainability.

6. To engage in advocacy programs through the sharing of good practices and successful experiences in inclusive education in show-case events at regional/province level.

7. To collaborate in district planning and budgeting for inclusive education in line with local needs and demand.

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References:

Bandung Declaration dated 8-14 August 2001: “Indonesia Menuju Inklusif” (“Indonesia: Toward Inclusiveness’).

District Government of Aceh Besar, 2010. “Perda/Qanun Aceh Besar Nomor 6 Tahun 2010 tetang Pendidikan Luar Biasa Kabupaten Aceh Besar” (“Regional Regulation of Aceh Besar Number 6/ 2010 regarding Special Education in Aceh Besar District”).

District Government of Sidoarjo, 2011. “Peraturan Bupati Sidoarjo Nomor 6 Tahun 2011 tentang Pelaksanaan Pendidikan Inklusif di Kabupaten Sidoarjo” (“Head of District’s Regulation Number 6/ 2011 regarding Implementation of Inclusive Education in Sidoarjo District”).

Directorate of Basic and Secondary Education, 2003. “Surat Edaran Dikdasmen Depdikbud No. 380/C.C6/MN/2003 tanggal 20 Januari 2003 tentang Pelaksanaan Pendidikan Inklusif” (“Department of Education and Culture, Directorate of Basic and Secondary Education Circular Number 380/C.C6/MN/2003 dated 20 January 2003 regarding Implementation of Inclusive Education.”)

Directorate of Special Education and Services, Basic Education, 2012.“Permendiknas Nomor 70 Tahun 2009 tentang Pendidikan Inklusif bagi Peserta Didik yang Memiliki Kelainan Kecerdasan dan/atau Bakat Istimewa” (“Ministerial Education Regulation Number 70/2009 regarding Inclusive Education for Gifted Learners”.)

Government of Indonesia, Undang Undang Sisdiknas Nomor 20 Tahun 2003 (National Education System Law 20/ 2003).

Helen Keller International, “Executive Summary: Gap Analysis of Inclusive Education, Helen Keller International – USAID – Ministry of National Education”.

Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministerial Regulation 70/2009, Basic Principles in Implementation of Inclusive Education. Prinsip-prinsip Dasar Pelaksanaan Pendidikan Inklusif.

Provincial Government of Aceh, 2011, “Peraturan Gubernur Aceh Nomor 4 Tahun 2011 tentang Pelaksanaan Pendidikan Inklusif di Province of Aceh (“Aceh Governor’s Regulation Number 4, 2011 regarding Implementation of Inclusive Education in Aceh Province”).

Provincial Government of East Java, 2011.”Peraturan Gubernur Jawa Timur Nomor 6 Tahun 2011 tentang Pelaksanaan Pendidikan Inklusif di Province of Jawa Timur” (“East Java Governor’s Regulation Number 6, 2011 regarding Implementation of Inclusive Education in East Java”).

UNESCO Jakarta, 2009. Modul LIRP Buku Khusus 3, “Mengajar Anak-anak dengan Disabilitas dalam Seting Inklusif” (“Inclusive Friendly Environment for Learning, Special Module 3, Teaching Children with Disabilities in Inclusive Setting”).

UNESCO Jakarta, 2010.“Kompedium Perjanjian, Hukum dan Peraturan Menjamin semua anak memperoleh kesamaan hak untuk kualitas pendidikan dalam Cara Inklusif” (“Compendium Agreements, Laws and Regulations Ensuring all children Should have equal rights to quality education in inclusive way”). Developed by IDP Norway, Brailo Norway and IDPN Indonesia on behalf of UNESCO and Plan Indonesia, fourth edition, April 2010.

USAID PRIORITAS, Remarks and notes from The Capacity Assessment at District Level in USAID PRIORITAS District Partners.

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Attachment 1: List of areas visited for the study on inclusive education policy

1. Province of Aceh

- Kota Banda Aceh

- Kabupaten Aceh Besar

2. Province of Jawa Timur

- Kota Mojokerto

- Kabupaten Sidoarjo

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Attachment 2: List of schools visited for the study on inclusive education policy

1. SD Negeri 54, Kota Banda Aceh

2. SD Negeri 25, Kota Banda Aceh

3. SD Negeri Lamujung, Kabupaten Aceh Besar

4. SD Negeri Sibreh, Kabupaten Aceh Besar

5. SD Al Azhar, Kota Mojokerto

6. SMP Negeri IV, Kabupaten Sidoarjo

7. SD Negeri Lemah Putro 1, Kabupaten Sidoarjo

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Attachment 3: List of area partners of USAID PRIORITAS visited for capacity assessment at district level:

1. Aceh Province

- Aceh Jaya District

- Bener Meriah District

2. Noth Sumatera Province

- Labuhan Batu District

- Nias Selatan District

- Medan Municipality

3. Banten Province

- Pandeglang District

- Serang District

4. West Java Province

- Bandung Barat District

- Cimahi Municipality

- Ciamis District

5. Central Java Province

- Purbalingga District

- Batang District

- Banjar Negara District

- Semarang District

- Sragen District

6. East Java Province

- Madiun District

- Blitar District

- Mojokerto District

- Situbondo District

- Pamekasan District

7. South Sulawesi Province

- Maros District

- Bantaeng District

- Wajo District

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Attachment 4: List of key questions for the study of inclusive education policy

General Questions

1. What factors have supported and hindered the inclusive education?

2. What are the different types of learners with special needs who have access to education?

3. What kinds of approaches, systems and activities can encourage higher participation in inclusive education?

4. What are the difficulties faced by the teachers in implementing inclusive education?

5. Does the integration of general students and those with special needs work well?

6. What factors may support the effectiveness of inclusive classrooms?

7. Can the implementation of inclusive class develop a child's social competency?

Achievement of Learning Target

1. Has the goal of the inclusive classroom been achieved?

2. Has the integration of children with special needs into the classroom improved their performance?

3. What kind of classroom management is currently practiced in the inclusive education? (division into groups, the distribution of teachers)

4. Is the regular students’ response positive so far?

5. What are the barriers to participation and children's learning?

6. How can these barriers be overcome?

7. What assessment methods are used in the classroom of inclusive education? (portfolios, tests, evaluation of learning)

Learning Strategies

1. What are the learning models currently practiced in inclusive classrooms? (exploration, practice,)

2. What kind of teaching/learning aids suit the character of the class?

3. Is the learning syllabus suitable?

Support and Resources

1. Do teachers have the capacity to deal with children with special needs?

2. Are the Teachers’ Competencies sufficient so far to handle an inclusive classroom?

3. What facilities need to be improved by the school?

4. Who needs to be involved?

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Attachment 5: List of questions for capacity assessment at district level for Inclusive Education

1. Are there inclusive schools in the district?

2. Are inclusive schools included in the district strategic plan/annual work plan?

3. What is the nature of its funding (multi-sourced or single sourced)?

What are the sources of funds?

4. Does the implementation of Inclusive education involve Higher Education?

What kind of involvement?

Is it effective?

5. Are other agencies involved in the implementation (NGOs, funding agencies)?

In what form?

Is it effective?

6. What is the role of the province in support of the implementation of inclusive schools?

7. What capacity needs to be improved in the District Office?

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Attachment 6: Results of School Visits

Visits to the following seven schools in the provinces of Aceh and East Java were made from 8 to 12 October 2012: 1) SD Negeri 54, Banda Aceh, 2) SD Negeri 25, Banda Aceh, 3) SD Negeri Lam Ujong, Aceh Besar, 4) SD Negeri Sibreh, Aceh Besar, 5) SD Al-Azhar, Mojokerto, 6) SD Negeri Putro Lemah Putro 1, and 7) SMP Negeri 4 Sidoarjo.

At the schools, meetings and discussions were held with principals, special tutor-teachers, classroom teachers, regular learners and learners with special needs, parents of students with special needs, and school committees. In some schools the meeting involved all the parties, but in other schools, we could only meet with the school committee or the parents. Information was collected from the school regarding the process of organizing inclusive education program, the applied learning strategies, problems experienced, efforts already made, the kind of support received from the government, in this case the Education Office, and its development to date. Interviews with the students explored the questions of how they felt about the classroom learning processes and interaction with their peers. From parents we expected to learn about any difficulties in accessing an education service for their children with special needs.

Types of learners with special needs

Seven schools were visited during the implementation of the Inclusive Education policy study, and we found there were several different types of disabilities in each school. According to Article 3, Paragraph 2 of Ministerial Regulation No. 70 of 2009, students with special disabilities are as follows: a) blind, b) hearing impairment, c) mute, d) mental retardation, e) physically disablement, f) social, emotional and behavior disorders, g) learning disabilities, h) slow learners, i) autism, j) motor disorders, k) victims of drug abuse and other addictive substances, l) other abnormalities, m) multiple disabilities.

Six types of learners were found with special needs in the seven schools visited, as follows: a) autism, b) ADHD/hyperactivity, c) cerebral palsy, d) slow learning, e) deaf, and f) physically disabled . The most common type of learner with special needs in the schools are those with slow learning disabilities.

How has the school become a provider of an inclusive education service?

All public schools visited were initially nominated by the Education Office to become a school provider of inclusive education, while one private school voluntarily decided to organize an inclusive education program due to concerns from principals and teachers who happen to have a background in special education. Such concerns have eventually grown and developed into a commitment that may become the basis for the development of a policy and initiative in each school to become a provider of inclusive education. Some commitments shown by the principals are as follows:

1. To allow children with special needs to enroll at their school.

2. Ensure that students with special needs follow the regular teaching and learning processes, and teachers at their school give special attention to students with special needs.

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3. Continually improve the capacity of teachers to better understand the concept and techniques for providing an inclusive education service by sending teachers to attend training/workshops/other activities related to Inclusive Education.

4. Create a policy to provide additional incentives to GPK.

5. Coordinate the development needs of inclusive education in schools by using local budget and block grants. While some principals would just wait for the instruction from the Education Office, other school principals with a stronger commitment would continue to try to meet the needs of their school through providing an inclusive education service with their own resources.

When the school receives a Ministerial Decree (SK) on their appointment as a school which provides inclusive education, it is not necessarily the case that the whole school community takes the initiative for granted, there are pros and cons even until today. The principals support the decision because they feel it is their moral responsibility to help others and they believe that every child handed over by their parents to educate should be educated. Some also understand that every child has the right to education, so that a child will be assisted to fulfill that right, whatever the situation. As for the cons, they felt that even teaching normal children can be troublesome, let alone educating children with special needs, which would be more difficult and complicated. The persistence of some principals to enable their school to provide inclusive education has had a positive result, because in the end they received community support. Each school has a different strategy to mobilize the entire team, but the development stages are generally the same:

1. Internal socialization to members of the entire school team so that they understand why the school has decided to host inclusive education.

2. Send teachers on workshops/training conducted by the Education Office on inclusive education. Some schools brought in experts to provide knowledge, skill and information on inclusive education to the school team.

3. Outreach to inform parents and the surrounding community through meetings and notice boards that the school has become the provider of inclusive education and the school accepts students with special needs.

4. Collaborate with the teachers to determine instructional strategies and curriculum that will be applied to learners with special needs.

5. Evaluate academic progress of students with special needs on a regular basis. Evaluation period varies, can be once a month or once a week.

6. Submit proposals to get funding from the Ministry of Education through local district/provincial offices and block grants directly from MOEC.

7. Work in cooperation with parents of students with disabilities, especialy so that parents can follow the learning process at home as well.

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Learning Strategy

Each school has their own formula and strategy to achieve the learning success for learners with special needs in an inclusive school. But in general, the strategy can be described as follows:

1. The curriculum for learners with special needs has to be individually prepared or modified to suit the needs of learners with special needs such as the application of a lower standard compared to normal students. By doing that, each school makes its own modified curriculum.

2. The new student registration process is carried out with a more detailed assessment process to determine the status of students associated with their special needs so that the school can determine what provisions are required for the students. All schools carry out this process, but the difference lies in the number of students; some schools do an assessment on all new students, but some other schools do an assessment on new students with special needs only.

3. There are also schools which apply a transition period for new learners with special needs after the assessment process. This is done to prepare the new students with special needs before they enter inclusive classrooms. This transition period depends on the readiness of each student with special needs.

4. Learners with special needs in inclusive classrooms participate in learning together with the students in general. But at particular times learners with special needs receive special tutorial and guidance to catch up or to develop their talents and interests in other fields.

5. In classrooms which have more than one student with special needs, group learning is applied, and at particular times learners with special needs get together in a group to streamline the process of the tutorial.

6. Each inclusive class is handled by two teachers, one classroom teacher for a primary level classroom/one subject teacher for junior secondary classroom and one special tutor-teacher.

7. The assessment and grade system for learners with special needs uses reduced standards compared to that for normal students.

Issues faced by schools which provide inclusive education

As stated by some teachers interviewed during this study, the teaching of the normal child is often difficult, let alone assisting learners with special needs. As a matter of fact, many of the problems faced by the school which provides inclusive education are also experienced by normal schools:

1. Limitations of teachers with background and knowledge in providing special education is a problem. In one school the teacher even had to threaten students with special needs because without them the learners were not willing to learn.

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2. The ratio of teachers who understand the special needs of students to learners with special needs is not balanced. As a consequence, regular teachers have to double up as tutor-teachers.

3. Information about the funding sources available to meet the needs of Inclusive Education administration is not yet clearly understood by principals.

4. Many people in the school team still do not understand the concept of inclusive education, so they keep asking why the school should admit learners with special needs. They are worried that the achievement of regular students will be affected; there was one school which experienced a decline in admission of new students by 50% when they allowed student with special needs to enroll.

5. Information gaps regarding the source of funds that can be accessed by the school which provides inclusive education result in a varied level of understanding. The principals consider that the government has been unable to meet its obligations to support schools which provide inclusive educations, while the government, represented by MOEC, should have the source of funds that have been allocated for the development of Inclusive Education. However, this funding source has not been accessed by the principal.

6. There are limited school facilities and infrastructure necessary for the learning processes for learners with special needs.

Efforts taken by the school to overcome the issues

1. Send teachers to training/workshops/other activities related to Inclusive Education organized by the Ministry of Education and other parties.

2. Develop curricula and set standards for the assessment of learners with special needs with lower standards than students in general.

3. Communicate with the Provincial Education Office to determine the various information sources concerning funding and other support.

4. Involve the school committee and parents of students with special needs in training and socialization on inclusive education to help disseminate to the public.

5. Collaborate with other parties that share a concern for the development of inclusive education, such as Helen Keller International.

6. Apply for a grant for a special tutor-teacher and to provide facilities and infrastructure needs required for students with special needs from the Education Office.

7. Cooperate with the parents of students with disabilities who are economically capable, to provide special tutor-teachers for children with autism.

8. Hold meetings with parents on a regular basis for the evaluation of children's learning and provide insight to parents on inclusive education.

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Impact on implementation of Inclusive Education for the learners

1. The presence of students with special needs does not generally adversely affect the learning processes in the classroom.

2. Learners with special needs do not feel inferior socializing with their classmates in general.

3. Other learners are generally not bothered by the presence of students with special needs in their classes.

4. If the tutor-teacher is inattentive, learners with special needs sometimes feel bored and sneak out of the classroom to play alone in the school yard.

5. The presence of students with special needs can help develop a sense of sympathy and help each other on students in general. This situation can be a "gateway" to the development of character education for children.

6. Learners with special needs from middle to upper income families have greater confidence than learners with special needs of disadvantaged families.

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Attachment 7: Results of capacity assessment at district level for Inclusive Education

Getting a quality education is the basic right of every child. It is clearly written in the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia Chapter 31 paragraph 1 and 2. But in reality, there are so many children of school age not studying at school. According to the Child Protection Act section 48, it is the obligation of the government to hold 9-year compulsory education for all children, regardless of gender, ability, disability, background or circumstances. But the reality is that millions of children do not attend school at all, and many are not completing their nine years of education.

In the National Education Act Article 5, citizens with physical, emotional, mental, intellectual handicap are entitled to special education. This is made clear by the Ministerial Education Regulation No.70 of 2009, "Inclusive Education is defined as an education system that provides opportunities for all learners who have the disorder and who are gifted/extraordinary talented to participate in education or learning in one environmental education together with the students in general." And there are some other legal basis which can be used as a reference for implementing Inclusive Education Inclusive Education in school providers or in the region.

From the survey and capacity assessment at district level, we obtained descriptions of the implementation of Inclusive Education in some PRIORITAS partner areas. Three USAID PRIORITAS partner provinces out of seven, namely Aceh, East Java, and South Sulawesi already have Regulations by the Governor to support the implementation of Inclusive Education. Two districts had already received an "Inclusion Education Award", namely Aceh Besar and Sidoarjo. However, apparently not all districts/cities in the two provinces have schools or madrasah which provide inclusive education services.

Below are some of the findings of the assessment results and the role of local capacity related to Inclusive Education:

1. Inclusive education is little known or has not been a priority for the MORA district office in USAID PRIORITAS partner districts. This is evident from the results of the assessment, that only two out of 23 MORA Offices have madrasah which provide inclusive education. MOEC district offices have more implementation, with 16 districts out of the total 23 partner districts or 69.56% already providing inclusive education services. However, there is only one district already implementing it in accordance with the Ministerial Regulation No.70 of 2009, that at least one school should provide inclusive education in each sub-district.

2. Inclusive education is not yet a priority in all partner districts, only nine out of 16 education offices in partner districts have schools providing inclusive education and include inclusive education in their strategic plans and working plans, while four offices include them in the annual work plan, but not in the district strategic plan. No MORA offices were found to have included inclusive education in their plan.

3. Out of 16 MOEC district offices, 14 have clear funding to support inclusive education, which is derived from the district or province budget and school funding. The study

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found one out of two MORA district offices had a budget for the inclusive education program. Further clarification needs to be obtained from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs on what is meant by school funding.

4. Cooperation with universities in the implementation of inclusive schooling was felt to be necessary by 16 MORA and District Education Offices. However, only one is collaborating with a Higher Education Institution, and this was not formal and furthermore it was not yet effective.

5. Collaboration with other institutions/NGOs in the implementation of inclusive education has been formally undertaken by two District Education Offices and according to them, the cooperation is effective.

6. Support from the province in the implementation of inclusive education in the form of programs, technical guidance, and monitoring has been received by 15 district education offices, but four of them reported the support is not effective, and three expressed the opinion that such support is not even clear.

7. There are seven MORA district offices receiving support from the province for the implementation of inclusive education, but three of these said that the support is not effective and it is not clear. Perhaps this is one reason why only one MORA district office has the inclusive education, but this matter needs to be further investigated.

8. Sixteen district education offices under MOEC confirmed that they have schools which provide inclusive education within their area, ten offices said they need technical capacity/training on inclusive education, three on the operational funds and one on the infrastructure for inclusive schools. Of the 25 school providers of inclusive education in line with the Ministry of Education regulations, ten schools reportedly require strategy/training on inclusive education and one school requires operational funds.

9. Regarding the need for capacity building for the MORA district office, seven of them said they needed technical/training on inclusive education, one requires additional operational funds and two require additional infrastructure for inclusive schools.

Recommendations

1. If we are consistent in the view that inclusive education is one of cross-cutting issues as an underlying perspective in any USAID PRIORITAS activities, then we need to encourage the Ministry of Education along with provincial and district partners to improve the dissemination of inclusive education so that every student with special needs can access special education at the same quality as their peers.

2. We should foster cooperation within districts for planning and budgeting for inclusive education.

3. Socialization is to be conducted of the various sources that can be accessed for the implementation of inclusive education in the USAID PRIORITAS partner districts.

4. Further study is needed to determine why cooperation with universities is not formally undertaken and does not yet produce good or effective results. Is it because only one out of the 23 districts works with a Higher Education institution?

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5. Building coordination between organizations working for inclusive education at the local level and national level is necessary to expand access for those with special needs.

6. Provision of training for teachers and prospective teachers in Teacher Training Institutes on inclusive education is needed.

7. Provision of training for principals on how to make changes in school policy and budgets for inclusive education is equally important.

Detailed information on assessment results:

Is there any inclusive school in this area under this Education Office?

12 a District

Education Office District MORA

Office Total

No Data 1 3 4

Yes at every district but not at sub-district

15 2 17

No inclusive school here 6 18 24

Yes at every sub district 1 - 1

Grand Total 23 23 46

Is inclusive education already included as program in District Strategic Plan and District Annual Workplan?

12 b District Education

Office District MORA

Office Total

No Data 1 6 8

Already in Annual Workplan but not in Strategic Plan

4 - 4

Already in Strategic Plan and Annual workplan

5 - 5

Answer not clear - 1 1

Neither in Strategic Plan nor in Annual workplan

13 16 29

Grand Total 23 23 46

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What are the funding sources? (Is it multi sourced/single sourced?)

12 c District Education

Office District MORA

Office Total

No Data 9 21 31

Local/district budget 2 - 2

District + Provincial budget 10 - 10

District + Provincial budget + school funding

2 - 2

District budget+ School funding - 1 1

Answer not clear - 1 1

Grand Total 23 23 46

Does the implementation involve Higher Education? What is the involvement? Is it effective?

12 d District

Education Office

District MORA Office School Total

No Data 4 11 14 29

No cooperation 18 12 11 41

Yes informal but not effective 1 - - 1

Grand Total 23 23 25 71

Are other institutions involved? What is the involvement? Is it effective?

12 e Dinas

Pendidikan Kantor MORA Sekolah Total

No Data 3 11 14 28

No cooperation 18 12 11 41

Yes formal and effective 2 - - 2

Yes formal but not effective - - - -

Grand Total 23 23 25 71

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What kind of support does the provincial education office provide for inclusive education at school?

12 f District

Education Office District MORA

Office Total

No /missing Data 7 15 22

Answer not clear 1 1 2

Technical Support – Effective 2 - 2

Monitoring Support – Effective 2 4 6

Program Support – Effective 6 - 6

Program Support – Not Effective 2 2 4

Support not clear – Effective 1 - 1

Support not clear – Not Effective 2 1 3

Grand Total 23 23 46

What kind of capacity needs to be improved in the District offices?

12 g District

Education Office

District MORA Office

School Total

No Data 9 12 14 36

Facility/Support for Inclusive school

1 2 - 3

Answer not clear - 1 - 1

Funding for Inclusive education 3 1 1

Training for Inclusive school 10 7 10 27

Grand Total 23 23 25 71