Abstract:

This paper addresses preliminary research concerning the implementation of inclusive education in Uzbekistan. The government of Uzbekistan has set aggressive targets to increase the number of schools that include students with disabilities within a broader push to improve foundational education for all children. In 2020, about 16% of students with disabilities were included in general education schools with a goal to increase to 40% by 2025 (World Bank Group, 2021). Following prior work (University of Notre Dame, 2022), the All Children Succeeding activity, funded by USAID, represents a collaborative effort to enhance educational access and attainment. In year one, we are conducting a gap analysis to better understand the current state of inclusive education for primary school children, with a focus on two regions - Namangan and Sirdarya. With input from multiple stakeholders, including the Ministry of Preschool and School Education (MOPSE), teachers, school administrators, parents of students with disabilities, community center staff, state pedagogical university faculty, and representatives from disabled people’s organizations, we seek to identify existing strengths, challenges, and barriers to meaningful educational access for students with disabilities. This presentation will focus on outcomes of our qualitative gap analysis. Data sources include classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with school staff and parents in our model schools, focus group discussions with key stakeholders in the focus regions, and document analysis, including policy documents, educational guidelines, reports related to inclusive education, curricular, pre-service education materials, and in-service training program materials. Qualitative data from these sources will be analyzed inductively to identify cross-cutting themes that will guide our future work in the region and support actionable recommendations to MOPSE. While data analysis is ongoing, we have identified several initial themes. One, while there is significant enthusiasm and appetite for the enhancement of inclusive education, educators and school leaders need more professional development and strategies for practical implementation. They seek models and examples of how these efforts have been successful elsewhere. Two, there are significant barriers to access for disabled students. These include physical access issues, transportation barriers, and challenges posed by the current identification and placement recommendation system. Finally, increasing access to high quality education means addressing multiple levels in the educational system, from pre-service teacher education to inservice teacher training, to revising the materials utilized in primary classrooms, and shifting broader attitudes about disability. Improving outcomes for disabled students means working in partnership with stakeholders at all levels (Ferguson, 2008).