What is the Current Situtation with Special Education Programs on a Global Level and Who does it Impact?

ASIA/ JAPAN:

Current Situation:

Since the 19th century, when special education was first established in Japan, Japan has made significant advances to develop and improve their special education programs. Because World War II destroyed much of Japan’s special education schools there was a dire need for reconstruction in this area. Since then the Japan has worked very hard to develop and improve their special education program. The currently have a very successful and well developed and organized services to provide children with various learning disabilities with the equal opportunity for education. Since then the Number of children enrolled in Special Education has slowly increased. (Development of Special Needs Education in
 Japan)

In Japan, currently the Fundamental Law of Education and the School Education Law established in 1947 provides students in Japan with equal opportunity for education. This law also applies to special needs students. (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology- School Education)

The Nation Institution of Special Education (NISE) is currently in charge of researching and providing teaching faculty for the special education in Japan. The NISE was founded in October 1971. Through research in the area of special education, which includes, medicine, psychology, education, and technology they are currently working to improve the special education programs across of Japan. (National Institute of Special Needs Education) In Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is also currently working with NISE to improve the special education in Japan. (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology- School Education)

Through the NISE, special education teachers are provided with professional training. In order to achieve and maintain high standards of special education teachers Japan’s teachers are required to have a license specifically for special education in addition to their regular teaching license. Japan currently provides very accessible teacher training programs through local special education centers in many cites across Japan. By putting the effort into properly training their teachers, Japan is currently improving the education of their special needs children. As a result there is a higher supply of qualified teachers able to provide effective services to children with learning disabilities. (National Institute of Special Needs Education)

The severity of the child’s learning disability determines whether the student attends an ordinary school and uses special support services or attends a special school for just disabled children. Currently about 1.6% of students in Japan are enrolled as special education students. This comes out to a total of 171,540 students who receive special education at a compulsory education stage. 0.47% of Japan’s students are in special schools, 0.78% of Japan’s students are in Special Classes, and 0.31% of Japan’s students are in Tsukyu Classes, and 0.001% of students are not enrolled in school (due to the severity of their disability).
(Special Education In Japan- National Institute of Special Education In Japan)

Japan’s CURRENT enrollment in Special Education:

Types and Number of Special Classes in Japan (2003):
-Visual Impairments 188 classes
-Emotional Disturbance 8,859 classes
-Hard of Hearing 608 classes
-Speech and Language Disorders 339 classes
-Physical/Motor Disabilities 1,915 classes
-Health Impairments 840 classes
-Intellectual Disabilities 18,172 classes

Number of Special Schools (Total schools: 995, 2003):
-Health Impairments- 96
-Blind- 71
-Intellectual Disabilities- 523
-Physical/ Motor Disabilities- 199
-Deaf- 106
-Health Impairments- 96
Number of Children who attend Tsukyu Classes
(Total students: 33,652, 2003)
Low Vision- 162
Health Impairments- 6
Physical/ Motor Disabilities- 1
Hard of Hearing 1,581
Emotional Disturbance- 4,184
Speech and Language Disorders- 27,718

(Special Education In Japan- National Institute of Special Education In Japan)


Japan-Number of Students and Teacher enrolled in School (2004)


Who Does this Effect?
(Development of Special Needs Education in
 Japan)
National Institution of Special Education- Japan

Special Needs Students:
Special Education directly affects the special education students in Japan. Because Japan has put the time and effort into developing special education, the children and families of children with learning disabilities benefit greatly. Through these services children, are given opportunity to learn and succeed. They will be given a change to have a future and expand their academic horizons.

Special Education Teachers:
In efforts to increase the quality of special education Japan has provided teachers with many training programs across the country. As a result teachers are able to receive training in many places across Japan. There is an opportunity cost that comes with providing top quality teachers. Today, special education teachers in Japan need an additional special education license to teach. This makes it more difficult for teachers to become qualified to teach children with learning disabilities. Because it is easier to become a regular schoolteacher, the supply of teachers is often lower than the demand. However, due to the professional training, the teacher who do take the time to go the extra step to qualify to work in special education are of very high quality.

Japan’s Future/ Society:
The future of Japan will also be affected by the current situation regarding special education. By providing special needs children with quality education they can receive a good education, attend college, graduate, and then become productive member of society. By focusing on educating their younger generation, including children with learning disabilities, the society as whole will benefit because a higher percentage of the future generation will be able to attain jobs and contribute to provide for a productive and successful society.


EUROPE/ FRANCE:

Current Situation:

France, among many European nations, is currently making many significant improvements in developing and refining their special education programs. Currently education is required from age 6 to 16. By the law of 10 July 1989 every person is entitled the right to an education. To this day this law is still in effect. It also states that every must be offered an education with which they can pursue a professional carrier if they wish to. This law is non discriminatory and applies to all students, regardless if they have learning disabilities or difficulties. Also by a memorandum co-signed by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Affairs and issued on November 18 1991 schools nearest to the student’s residence (special needs students included) are required to educate the student and provide them with the services for them to excel and learn from.
(Special Education Across Europe in 2003)

Special Education lies under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Nation Education, Ministry of Public Health and Social affairs and the department of Justice. The Ministry of Nation Education is in charge of designing programs for children with learning disabilities. They also have a legal obligation to pay for the child’s education expenses, regardless of their extent of help they are receiving.
(Special Education Across Europe in 2003)

The current policy known as the inclusion policy, limits the amount of time a student spends in a special institution. Instead of excluding children with learning disabilities and putting them in a separate institution, France is trying to include these children in a the regular school system by giving them the opportunity to learn in a regular school environment. France’s inclusion policy also strives to provide education to provide all students with equal opportunity for education. Through this “inclusion strategy” France, among many other European countries are currently working to expand and refine special education programs across their country.
(Special Education Across Europe)

However, despite the efforts of the current inclusion policy many children are not able to learn in a mainstream classroom setting due to the severity of their disabilities. Today around 60 elementary special schools remain in France. Children who attend “special schools” in France usually have sensory deficiencies or a serious illness. If children are capable they, must spend some inclusion time in mainstream classes, according to current inclusion policy.
(Special Education Across Europe in 2003-http://www.european-agency.org/publications/agency_publications/ereports/erep11.html)

In France, “Outline Law for Disabled People (1975)” and “The Commission Departementake d’Education Speciale” (CDES), provides help to those up to 20 years old with motor, intellectual, or sensory disabilities, a chronic disease, or a chronic disability by determining the amount of financial and learning assistance each individual needs to learn. The CDES can also give, Allocation d’Education Spéciale (AES), Special Education Allowances, to the person or school in charge of raising and educating a special needs student. No decisions regarding the education of these special needs children can be made without the authorization of the CDES. However, the student is not allowed to receive these services without the consent of their parents.
(Special Education Across Europe in 2003-http://www.european-agency.org/publications/agency_publications/ereports/erep11.html)

The European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education News

Who does effect:
(Special Education Across Europe -http://www.european-agency.org/publications/agency_publications/ereports/erep11.html)
(Special educational needs in Europe)
Special Education Students:
The current situation in France and other neighboring European countries greatly affects the students who receive the aid and services. Through these programs they are given the opportunity to get a good education, despite they learning disabilities. Special needs students in France are also affected by the inclusion policy. As a result if possible children with learning disabilities are included in the mainstream classroom. By not excluding these children from a regular school setting they get the opportunity to interact with children without disabilities. This gives the students a more real life experience by allowing them to learn in a regular educational classroom setting and environment.

Children without Learning Disabilities:
Children without leaning disabilities will also be affected by France’s special education situation. There is an opportunity cost of improving special education. Because so much time and money is invested in educating special needs children the regular education children are affected as well. These improvements in the special education program take away money that could have been used for educating children without learning disabilities (the majority of the students). These students are also impacted by the inclusion policy. This policy puts more special needs students into the mainstream classroom and as a result they indirectly take away attention that would have otherwise been given to the children without learning disabilities. The presence of these children in the mainstream classroom may also holdback some of the other students.

France’s future society and economic success:
France’s future will be affected by the current situation regarding special education. Theses children with learning disabilities will, through the high quality educational services and attention, one day become contributing members of the French society. France’s future will benefit from this because a higher percentage of their younger generation will be able to enter the work force and increase the GDP and nation’s wealth. This will provide France with a successful future. France’s economy will indirectly increase from Europe’s current special education situation.

AFRICA-ZAMBIA:
Current Situation:

Currently, special education is not very prominent throughout Africa. To this day it is still seen as a new concept because many areas are more focused on improving the quality of their regular education, which currently is not very adequate and developed compared to that of the United States. In places where special education has been introduced there are still many problems. These include, poor funding, lack of information about special education and learning disabilities, negative attitudes, inadequate supply of qualified teachers and an overall general lack of commitment. This results in poor, if any, special education programs across Africa. However, in Zambia Special Education programs are available and developing.
(Inclusive Education in Africa)

In 1969, the Zambian Government realized the need to educate children with learning disabilities. In 1971 the Ministry of Education was instructed to take the portfolio of educating disabled children. Despite this, since then, the Government of the Republic of Zambia has taken no measures to construct special education schools. Today, the 31 existing Special Education Schools in Zambia are all privately owned and run. However, the Government does supply these private institutions with teachers and grants.

Today, more than 15 percent of children in Zambia, over 250,000 children, have learning disabilities and require special academic attention and services. However, most of these children do not receive any services do to the lack of sufficient educational programs for these special needs children. Another reason is, in Zambia, they do not have an effective system to identify and contact children with special needs. Therefore, they do not receive adequate help. Also, parents in Zambia often feel embarrassed about their disabled children and keep their children’s leaning disability a secret in efforts to keep their family status high.
(A Zambian Case Study- Dr. Mwamba D Kalabula, University of Zambia)

The Currently policy for special education, “Educating Our Future 1996,” written by the Ministry of Education, states that children with special needs will be provided with equal educational opportunity. This policy also strives to provide adequate resources and good quality education to these children, and improve the management of special education in Zambia.

The Ministry of Education goals to improve Special Education:

-Working closely with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education will decentralize services for the identification, assessment and placement of children with special educational needs.

-To the greatest extent possible, the Ministry will integrate pupils with special educational needs into mainstream institutions and will provide them with necessary facilities. However, where need is established, the Ministry will participate in the provision of new special schools for the severely impaired.

-The Ministry will co-operate with private, religious, community and philanthropic organizations in meeting the special educational needs of exceptional children, and providing outreach services for children whose impairments prevent normal attendance at school.

-Education Boards will have responsibility for ensuring that the special education needs of children within their jurisdiction are met, and will be evaluated on their discharge of this responsibility.

-The Ministry will dispense with all direct educational costs for children with special educational needs will provide bursaries for such individuals at tertiary level.

-The Ministry will give attention to the educational needs of exceptional children by training and adequate number of teachers in special education; designing appropriate curricula and teaching materials; prescribing specifications for special furniture, equipment, aids and infrastructure provision; developing appropriate support technology systems; and providing adequate supervision of special education programs.

-The Ministry will enlarge and decentralize the special education inspectorate. Planning for special education provision will be built into the Ministry's mainstream strategic planning, and in support of this the information system on special education and national needs in this area will be improved.

While the motive and desire to improve special education is there, economic decline has made it very difficult for Zambia to provide adequate funding for educational obligations. The increasing poverty across the country also inhibits rapid development of regular and special education. The quality of education in Zambia is affected by the lack of resources, which includes facilities, supplies, teachers, classrooms, and instruction.



Table 1
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

% of TPB 10.3 10.8 10.0 10.6 10.4
% of GDP 2.9 2.0 2.9 2.9 2.8

Budget allocation to the Ministry of Education in relation to Total Public Budget (TPB) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Source: Ministry of Education



Who does this effect?
(A Zambian Case Study- Dr. Mwamba D Kalabula, University of Zambia)

Special needs students:
The children with learning disabilities are suffering as a result of the poor special education programs in Zambia. Without adequate services and special attention these children cannot learn and be educated. As a result their futures are very limited and opportunities are scarce. Without a proper education they will not be able to graduate, have the opportunity to go to college, and will not be able to get a job.

Zambia/ Africa’s future economy:
By not providing all of its children with equal opportunity to excel and learn, not all of their children will grow up to be contributing members of society. Zambia’s future economy will suffer as a result of not being able to educate their special needs children. These children will not be able to get jobs in the future due to the lack of an educational background. This will increase the future unemployment rate in Zambia and have negative effects on society by decreasing the county’s economy.

Special Education Schools:
The special education schools are greatly affected by the current situation in Zambia. Because the government’s scarce amount of money, they cannot invest a lot of money in special education. This is partially because their regular education program still needs to be developed in many areas throughout Africa. Even though their intentions and motives are good, the government cannot adequately support special education programs because of economic decline and increase in poverty. As a results special education schools cannot be fully developed and therefore cannot provide top quality education to its students.