Andi, a six-year-old boy in Bireuen District in Aceh, is currently going to a kindergarten. He was diagnosed with a disability when he was very young.
“I have researched many schools, but I have not found one that I am fully comfortable with for sending my son,” says Nanda, Andi’s mother.
One day, a pediatrician recommended Nanda to send her son to a kindergarten in the same district that provides a class specifically for children with disabilities. This kindergarten has a policy of diversity and inclusion. It didn’t take long for Nanda to realize that Andi was fully embraced by the children, teachers, and the parental community of this kindergarten.
“I was so glad to find a kindergarten that so successfully unlocked Andi’s potential. But now, I am very anxious about his transition to primary school and how he will be treated next. I am so desperate to find a school that has facilities and infrastructure for children with disabilities,” says Nanda.
Nanda knows it is not only school infrastructure that needs to be inclusive, but also the whole school communities, including teachers, other students, and parents, that matters for children with disabilities. There are still many people who are not open to accepting children with disabilities. As such, it is important that differences come to be seen more positively in school communities.
At one of the focus group discussions held online by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) and the World Bank in March 2021, Nanda gave a powerful voice on behalf of those who have disabilities, like her son.
“I am a parent of a child, who will be soon attending primary school. I hope that the government will help build a school that has communities that accept and support my child and many other children with disabilities.” she said.
Unfortunately, there are still many parents who have anxieties for their children, like Nanda.
Educating children with disabilities in Indonesia
. Alternatively, they are promoted without appropriate teaching but eventually dropping out due to the lack of teacher training and adequate school systems to accommodate children with disabilities.
The MoECRT in Indonesia has promoted inclusive education to address issues faced by children with disabilities. The number of inclusive schools has increased from 3,610 to 28,778 between 2015 and 2020. However, only less than 13 percent of inclusive schools have teachers trained in inclusive education and are ready to provide adequate learning support for children with disabilities.
