The second International conference of the College of Education took place from 13th -15th May 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda. The theme was ‘Re-shaping Education for Sustainable Development’. The impetus behind this theme was that quality education requires emphasis on holistic education. Indeed, contemporary education requires going beyond traditional academic subjects and mode of delivery whereby educationists must redesign the classroom. Hence, this conference constituted another opportunity to create synergy between educators, scholar and education policymakers so that they can create effective learning ecosystem responding to the dynamic and ever changing world’s demands.
One of the key not speakers was Sai Väyrynen from the University of Helsinki, who is a key expert at the HEP-TED project. She articulated very well the importance and relevance of inclusion policies in the education sector. Professor Väyrynen reiterated the fact that inclusive education values diversity and the unique contributions each student brings to the classroom.
At the HEP-TED project, one of the central goals is to facilitate inclusive learning for all learners including those who face barriers or have disabilities. The methods include different pedagogical approaches, as well as harnessing digital learning opportunities, developing distance learning, and so on. The conference was a good opportunity to openly discuss the importance of the inclusion policies in higher education institutions.
This is somehow in line with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education that developed inclusive education to address all learners’ educational needs in a mainstream education setting. This is based on the principle that all learners are different, and can learn and develop differently, and therefore, the education system is expected to be adapted to fit every learner’s needs. (© (2022 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT).
However, assessing Rwanda’s inclusive education policy, it is clear that the importance is put mainly on physical disability yet inclusive education is much deeper and wider than that. The 2018 Revised Special Needs and Inclusive Education Policy was set out to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in education. Districts allocate budget for disability inclusion, including education programmes and purchase of assistive technology and to monitor spending on disability inclusion.
Therefore, HEP-TED –project needs to develop and enhance inclusion policies in the education sector in Rwanda because in a truly inclusive setting, every child feels safe and has a sense of belonging. Students and their parents participate in setting learning goals and take part in decisions that affect them.