Head Teachers’ Attitude towards School-Based Support for the Inclusion of Children in Street Situations in Mainstream Education in Kampala District, Central Uganda

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number four target five seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination in education for marginalised groups, including children in vulnerable situations like those in street situations. Inclusion of vulnerable children in mainstream education has not been sufficiently studied. This study assessed head teachers’ attitudes towards school-based support for the inclusion of children in street situations in mainstream education. A quantitative approach was adopted, and 31 head teachers were sampled randomly from 40 purposively selected public primary schools in Kampala district. Collected quantitative data was generated using a questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. This research adhered to ethical principles, and trustworthiness was ensured. Quantitative results revealed that head teachers’ attitude (F (1, 29) =1.558, p>0.05) was insignificant. Hence was not a strong predictor for educational inclusion of children in street situations. These findings differ from the literature because Uganda lacks a national approach to the street children problem and their education. Hence, head teachers are not obliged to initiate that strategy. The study thus concluded that head teachers’ attitude do not predict educational inclusion of children in street situations in mainstream education. The study, therefore, recommended that the government through its institutions should develop a comprehensive national approach to initiate educational access for children in street situations by preparing schools through inclusive leadership, teacher capacity-building, flexible teaching approaches, and child protection systems that respond to the educational, psychosocial, and material needs of children in street situations. The findings are significant to the Government, Teachers and Non-Governmental Organizations in planning and policy formulation for inclusivity of children in street situations in accessing equitable quality education for all provided in the mainstream education.