Is Zambia Ripe for Inclusive Educational Provision?
The first question one has to ask himself/herself is what the ideal situation is in inclusive education. According to Stainback and Stainback (1988), an inclusive school is one that educates all students in the mainstream; and provides them with appropriate facilities and materials. Zambia, which cannot afford even basic resources for those children already in boarding schools, cannot be considered as ready to take up such a demanding responsibility as including children with special needs in ordinary classes. Students/pupils with special educational needs need to be provided with appropriate facilities and materials such as hearing aids, braille paper, braillon and others. These things are very expensive and not locally obtained. Regular teachers, resource teachers and specialist teachers to handle SEN children need to be trained and made available in school settings for networking and collaborative work. Simple assessment and screening tools which should be well understood by teacher
