The National Special Needs Education Policy Framework (2009) of Kenya: Its Impact on Teachers’ Instructional Design and Practice in Inclusive Classrooms in Kenya

Abstract

The data consists of semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals in 4 schools in Kenya, including students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms is considered an important factor in meeting the needs and ensuring the rights of students with disabilities. In 2009 Kenya passed The National Special Needs Education Policy Framework which, while it made the inclusion of students with disabilities a formal policy, the strategies for inclusion remain unresolved. This study was conducted in two phases; the first used a Western methodology (Universal Design for Learning) and the second an Indigenous Gīkūyū methodology. Eight teachers and four principals were interviewed and eight classrooms were observed in four schools in Kenya to identify the inclusive strategies employed by the teachers. Results were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study showed ways in which Kenyan teachers used Gīkūyū Indigenous strategies, drawn from Gīkūyū knowledges, to support students in inclusive classrooms. The study also highlighted the importance of revitalising Gīkūyū knowledges, values and practices in schools. The research adds to the scholarship on the place of Indigenous knowledges, values and practices in schools to support students with and without disabilities, and the place of family relationships and family-school partnerships among the Gīkūyū in inclusive education. This study has the potential to inform educational policy and practice in Kenya specifically and in Africa generally. It has created the space for the voices of Gīkūyū teachers and principals to be heard in their pursuit to preserve Gīkūyū knowledges that have for centuries supported the care and education of children with disabilities through strong family and group relationships.