A number of obstacles to realizing inclusive education must be addressed immediately with real measures, so that everyone, including people with disabilities, gets quality education services.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat has emphasized the importance of making joint efforts to tackle the obstacles to realizing inclusive education in Indonesia.

According to Moerdijat, quality education services must be made accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.

"A number of obstacles to realizing inclusive education must be addressed immediately with real measures, so that everyone, including people with disabilities, gets quality education services," she said in a statement released in Jakarta on Friday.

Earlier, speaking in Denpasar, Bali, on Thursday, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu'ti, outlined two obstacles to implementing inclusive education in Indonesia.

The first is the lack of readiness of educational institutions to provide inclusive education for children with special needs. The second obstacle is that not all parents are open about their children learning with peers with disabilities.

Related news: National Education Day: Disability inclusion remains a challenge

As per 2024 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), 17.85 percent of people with disabilities, aged above five years, have not received any formal education. Meanwhile, for non-disabled individuals, the rate is much lower, namely 5.04 percent.

Moerdijat said that the issue must be addressed immediately by devising concrete solutions with the help of various parties.

"Input from stakeholders and the community is needed to realize an effective strategy in responding to this challenge," she added.

The MPR deputy speaker also stressed the importance of preparing teachers who have an inclusive perspective and are friendly to children with disabilities.

Apart from that, she said, understanding about the importance of an inclusive education ecosystem must be promoted massively by involving all elements of the nation.

"The movement of building inclusive education must be carried out immediately in order to realize quality education services for everyone," she stressed.

Related news: Minister outlines 2 challenges to inclusive education







Translator: Narda Margaretha, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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