Education inclusiveness among children with learning disabilities in Nigeria: Implications for counselling psychology

Abstract

Education is seen as the cornerstone of every development forming the basis for literacy, skill acquisition, technological advancement as well as the ability to harness the natural resources of the state. Participants in the World Conference on “Education for All” pointed out that education is a fundamental right of all people, women, and men of all ages throughout the world. Learning disabilities occurs when the learning process is hampered due to problems within the central nervous system which results in an inconsistency between the individual’s intelligence quotient and academic achievement. Education for All programs emanated from UNICEF, UNESCO and the World Bank had some positive results for non-disabled children. School enrollment and literacy rates have risen in almost all countries to date; however the same cannot be said for children with disabilities. Despite the numerous meetings, declarations and encouraging developments that have followed over the years, progress has certainly not matched. The development of education inclusiveness can be viewed in three stages which include segregation, integration, and education inclusiveness. Successful inclusion is less to do with the individual factor such as amount of support for the child; rather, it is the interaction of certain key factors that bring about the likelihood of a more successful inclusion outcome for the child. Varieties of instructional skills which include assessment, communication, management, motivational and evaluation (ACMME) are needed by the teachers to build education inclusiveness. In view of the above, the study stressed that there should be a re-orientation of attitudes of people towards persons with disabilities in the society to reduce stigmatization and discrimination and that counselling psychologists and other educational stakeholders should be trained on the need to strengthen the to enhance the practice of inclusive education.