Inclusion and education

CONCLUSION
Teachers in the region are generally not well prepared 
to work in diversified classrooms and lack professional 
support in schools. During their initial training, they 
are exposed to subject knowledge, subject teaching 
methodology and general pedagogy, but receive limited 
practical training in mixed-ability and culturally diverse 
settings. As future teachers are mostly trained to address 
special needs through correctional practice, cross-
curricular and comprehensive approaches to inclusion are 
rare. Consequently, teacher licensing and attestation is 
usually not linked to competences for inclusive education 
or to a performance evaluation.
The lack of initial training in inclusion makes in-service 
professional development the principal way to empower 
teachers to work in diverse classrooms, although it 
tends to focus on students with disabilities more 
than other vulnerable groups and is rarely actively 
encouraged. School-based professional development is 
rare and teacher appraisal is not used enough to boost 
motivation and professional satisfaction. Teachers have 
no opportunities for coaching and mentoring in the 
classroom setting, which would help equip them with 
practical skills.
The teaching force in most countries does not match 
student population diversity, and there are few national 
policies to encourage members of disadvantaged groups 
to become teachers. In the absence of role models and 
opportunities to identify with teachers, the attendance, 
well-being and achievement of students from such 
groups are at risk.
Although inclusion is interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral, 
teachers are not sufficiently supported by other 
professionals. Support personnel of various competences 
are equally unprepared, since a comprehensive approach 
to inclusion is rare in their initial education as well. There 
is a lack of support personnel in many countries and their 
roles are insufficiently defined across the region, leading 
to unclear division of assignments and responsibilities.
114
GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT 2021

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Education in Tajikistan, Shahrinav District.
CREDIT: GPE/ Carine Durand

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