Inclusivity in Primary School: A Case of Primary Schools in Goromonzi District of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Education inclusiveness is a global imperative, which aims to ensure that all learners, irrespective of their diverse needs, abilities, or backgrounds, are taken care of within the mainstream education system. The global concern for inclusive education is expressed in the goal and targets of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development goal number four, which states that governments must ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (UN, 2015). The targets aim at addressing issues of gender, access, quality, skills development, affordability, facilities, and the supply of qualified personnel. In Zimbabwe, the inclusive education policy was formalized through various legal instruments, including the Education Act, 2016. Despite the existence of policy frameworks, the implementation of inclusive education in rural schools faces systemic challenges. The paper uses mixed methods research. A total of one hundred participants responded to questionnaires and interviews. The participants were from ten purposively selected primary schools in Goromonzi district. School heads from the selected primary schools automatically became respondents, and teachers and parents were selected through random sampling. The paper analyzes the gap between the national policy of inclusive education and implementation practices in Goromonzi District of Zimbabwe. Drawing from Disability Studies in Education and the Socio-Ecological Model, the paper argues that true inclusivity remains a pipedream due to inadequate teacher training, a lack of specialized resources, structural barriers in infrastructure, and insufficient allocation of the national education budget toward specific learning needs. Lack of access and the requirement for parents to pay fees and levies still function as hinderances to education inclusivity. The paper proposes a multilevel intervention framework which focuses on capacity building for resource teachers, community sensitization, and equitable distribution of assistive technologies. Recommendations are centered on policy enforcement and resource mobilization to transform inclusive education from a mere policy declaration to an actionable and sustainable reality.