Inclusive Education: The Principle of Equity Vs Equality

The Graduate School of Education invited Eman Gaad, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Professor of Special and Inclusive Education at the British University in Dubai, to emphasize the importance of creating sustainable societies that make room for proper inclusive education.

Gaad has long been advocating for the rights and proper inclusion of children with disability in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and shared the lessons she has learned from teaching in the past years.

She emphasized that all children, regardless of their disabilities should be provided with the same tools and approached with one uniform technique of teaching.

The secret ingredient to creating sustainable societies that embrace people with disabilities, she said, is to have a community based on “the law of equity” rather than “the law of equality.”

Focusing on the latter, often leaves mentally challenged children adrift.

Equality aims to promote fairness by treating everyone equally. For example, giving everyone the same portion of chocolate cake abides with the law of equality. Equity, however, is taking into consideration that some people are diabetic and therefore should not be given cake.

Offering children with disabilities the same curriculum and same methods of teaching as their peers is “covert exclusion,” she explained.

Gaad said the way to properly include students with special needs is to involve them in the classroom, but approach them differently and according to their needs.

“Schools should be cohesive, comprehensive environments where everyone is accepted without stigma,” Gaad told The Caravan.

She mentioned that barriers surrounding inclusive education in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) are cultural and financial.

In the past, the stigma that surrounded disabilities and the belief that mentally challenged children can neither learn nor truly benefit the society led to a lack of investment in the incorporation of inclusive education on the governmental level.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi recently signed into law the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This law provides legal rights and protections for disabled people, including rights to non-discrimination in employment, health, political activity, rehabilitation and training, and legal protection.

It also includes provisions for the rights of persons with disabilities in education at all levels.

While Gaad is encouraged by this law, she believes that the problem now lies in finding the funds to adequately prepare Egyptian schools and teachers for inclusive education.

Parents are often burdened with extra fees required by schools to accommodate and educate their challenged children.

As inclusive education grains ground, there is increased likelihood that challenged children will become destigmatized. But this needs public awareness.

“AUC is raising awareness about the importance of inclusive education. We are spearheading the movement of empowering challenged students,” said Heba Kotb, Associate Professor of Practice at the Psychology Department.

Meanwhile, the International and Comparative Education Department is working with Psychology professors on a one-year program which highlights inclusive education.

The program is designed to empower students of different abilities to effectively learn together in a uniform curriculum.