Jordan Launches Inclusive Education Campaign To Promote Equality, Accessibility For All Students

(MENAFN- Jordan Times) AMMAN - The Ministry of Education has launched its inclusive education campaign, "No Difference Makes a Difference: Inclusive Education for All," aimed at raising awareness about inclusion and diversity in education, covering topics ranging from the definition of inclusive education to its social and economic benefits, which positively impact individuals, local communities, and Jordan as a whole.

Deputising for Minister of Education Azmi Mahafzah, Director of Education Management Ahmad Masafa emphasised that the ministry places significant importance on children with disabilities. It strives to integrate them into the educational process alongside their peers without disabilities, according to a statement for The Jordan Times.

He noted that Jordan has made substantial progress over the years in achieving inclusion within the education sector, emphasising that the Jordanian government has expressed its ambition to lead the region in promoting greater equality between persons with disabilities and those without.

This ambition is framed and defined within the National Strategy for Human Resources Development, the Ministry of Education's Strategic Plan, and the 10-Year Strategy for Inclusive Education.

He highlighted that the Inclusive Education Strategy seeks to promote a culture of commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality education for all students, including students with disabilities in regular schools. This is considered a core responsibility of the Ministry of Education and is included within its policies and practices.

He also stated that since the launch of the 10-Year Strategy for Inclusive Education, the ministry, along with its partners, has been working on achieving the goals outlined in the strategy.

The ministry has focused on reviewing existing legislation related to the acceptance of students with disabilities in public schools, as well as curricula, teaching methods, teacher guides, and support services.

These measures aim to align with inclusive education principles and practices. Also, new systems and regulations have been developed to outline the criteria for accepting children with disabilities and integrating them into kindergartens and schools across the Kingdom, in accordance with the Disability Rights Law No. 20 of 2017.

The ministry has also developed a procedural guide for schools that outlines the steps to be followed for implementing inclusive education, identifying the necessary financial and human resources for executing inclusive education programmes.

The ministry has developed a system for both financial and non-financial incentives at the school and teaching staff levels to ensure the effective implementation of inclusive education.

The guide also includes integrating the fundamental requirements of inclusive education into educational programmes for all age groups and vocational education, as well as allocating the necessary financial provisions for their implementation.

He added that the ministry has worked to raise community awareness in Jordan about the rights of persons with disabilities, including the right to education and integration into society, as well as the economic, social, and cultural benefits of inclusive education for all members of society.

The ministry has also aimed to foster positive attitudes among teachers, students, parents, and local communities towards inclusive education, in order to reduce the negative traditional practices that segregate students with disabilities into centres outside of the formal educational context.

Efforts have also been made to provide learning and educational opportunities for out-of-school students with disabilities based on justice and equality with their peers in regular schools, according to the statement.

Regarding accessibility and its arrangements, he stated that the ministry is working on adapting the infrastructure in schools and educational facilities according to the building code requirements for persons with disabilities. This ensures that students with disabilities can access school buildings and facilities without physical barriers.

The ministry is also providing the necessary facilitative arrangements, equipment, tools, and resources that students with disabilities require, viewing these as essential pillars of inclusive education.

He said that when the concept of "inclusion and diversity in education" is expanded to include other groups of children at risk of exclusion and marginalisation alongside children with disabilities, it is crucial to continue investing in "disability inclusion" and to consider expanding resources as needed in different geographic areas.

He highlighted that the ministry, through its collective commitment, will work to coordinate efforts to achieve greater inclusion and diversity in education, ensuring that this is reflected in all its policies, plans, programmes, projects, and initiatives.

Masafa stressed that Jordan will witness a significant shift and achieve a fundamental change in the field of disability rights in general, and the right to education in particular.

He added that the ministry is determined and committed to continuing the journey and achieving the goal that we all aspire to: creating a better reality for persons with disabilities, where they can live independently and freely on the foundations of justice, equality, and equal opportunities, the statement said.

This campaign is led by the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and is supported by the "Promoting Quality in Inclusive Education in Jordan Project,” implemented by the 'Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH' on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in partnership with the consulting company PROMAN.

The campaign marks the second phase of the "Inclusive Education for All" campaign, which was launched in 2020 and focused primarily on schools.

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