Challenging Notions of Inclusion in the African Context, for Sustainable Inclusive Education Policy and Practice

In line with the EFA and Salamanca agendas, inclusive education as a movement worldwide has gained momentum in supporting education for children with disabilities and special educational needs alongside their peers. The progress towards inclusive education globally, including in Africa, has been slow (UNESCO, 2020). Why is this so and what can be done about it? This paper looks at these questions, specifically in relation to the African continent, drawing from research and professional experience in African countries, and compares these with experiences elsewhere. It focuses on the colonization and neo-colonization of concepts and models of inclusive education developed across the developed world that have traversed borders from the North into Africa, through development aid, consultancy, and the conveyance of knowledge through studying abroad. It looks at what the outcomes have been within different economic, social and political contexts, and the sustainability of such thinking, and models for both policy and practice in local communities. It also looks at inclusion and exclusion and the intersectonality between special needs, poverty, gender, ethnicity and the concept of able-bodism which is rooted in cultural norms. How this directly affects the priorities and possibilities for education reform and policies in inclusive education, will be addressed. The paper provides a deep understanding of why the process of implementing inclusive education is so complex in the African continent and an understanding of what is needed to develop a more sustainable model across the continent and within specific countries.