KND Chair Dante Rigmalia explained that the inclusive education program provides equal learning for all students, including those with disabilities.
"Thus, by merging children with disabilities and non-disabled children in regular classes or inclusive education, it becomes an asset to be able to understand each other, so that the stigma will slowly disappear," she remarked here on Friday (March 22).
She further drew attention to the fact that the negative stigma around children with disabilities in primary and secondary school environments often emerged due to the lack of exchange of experiences and information.
Hence, she expressed belief that inclusive education is the first step to introducing children to one another's limitations and potential.
Related news: Collaboration needed to ensure inclusive education for disabled: KND
Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of seeing inclusive education methods as a philosophy and not just a program that is mandated by the central government.
By raising the philosophy of inclusive education starting from the elementary education units, she believes that children will gain a holistic understanding of diversity, including the diversity of disabilities, as they learn and play together from the start.
Earlier, on Thursday (March 21), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology launched the Inclusive Education Tiered Education Program in the form of the Elementary Level Inclusive Education Module to boost the teachers' competence in fulfilling children's rights to inclusive and equal education.
At the launch event, the ministry's Director General of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Iwan Syahril highlighted the government's commitment to providing equal education to all students, including pupils with special needs.
He highlighted that around 40 thousand schools implement inclusive education.
Related news: Minister highlights issue of disabled individuals' education levels
Translator: Hana Dewi, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
