Browsing by Author "Okwaput, Stackus"

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    Inclusive education policies versus implementation challenges in the Southern Africa development community countries : a scoping review
    (International Journal of Studies in Inclusive Education, 2025-04-30) Mbazi, Salimini; Okwaput, Stackus; Nato, Joseph Odeke; Emong, Paul
    The Salamanca framework of Action of 1994 and the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006 guide SADC member states in formulating inclusive education policies in mainstream and inclusive schools. However, the literature on policies versus implementation remains unclear. This scoping review maps the literature on the common inclusive education policies versus implementation challenges in inclusive education in the SADC countries and how these challenges exclude students with special learning needs. The study employed a mixed approach and case study design to explore the inclusive education policies versus their implementation challenges in the SADC region. A search was conducted through Google Scholar, Science Direct, Research Gate, and PubMed for studies published between 1994 and 2025. The study adopted Boolean operators and proximity operators. Data extraction focuses on the author(s), year of publication, country, research approach, design, data collection methods, analysis, and the key findings. It adopted the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA-SCR) extension for Scoping Reviews. A total of ninety studies were identified from the search strategies and databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria screened the studies; forty-eight were irrelevant, and forty were relevant to this scoping review. A total of forty-two studies were included. Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, and Malawi have published numerous studies on inclusive education compared to other countries in the SADC region. This study found that SADC countries have common inclusive education challenges, such as inadequate instructional materials, inaccessible infrastructures, rigid curricula, negative attitudes of teachers and administrators towards inclusive education and disabilities, and teachers having insufficient knowledge and skills to teach in inclusive schools. The study recommends that all SADC countries consider reviewing their inclusive education policies to address the implementation challenges.
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    Provisions of community-based rehabilitation services on inclusive education in secondary schools that enrol learners with hearing impairment in Tanzania
    (International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 2025-12-08) Mbazi, Salimini; Oketch, John Baptist; Okwaput, Stackus
    The study examined the provisions of Community-Based Rehabilitation services in inclusive secondary schools that enrol learners with hearing impairment in Tanzania. The objectives of the study were: (i) to analyze the CBR services offered in inclusive secondary schools that enrol learners with hearing impairment in Tanzania, (ii) to examine how CBR services are provided in secondary schools that enrol learners with hearing impairments in Tanzania. The study was guided by the social model of disability with assumptions that disability is not caused by an individual's medical condition or physical or mental impairment; instead, disability arises as a consequence of societal attitudes, physical and organizational structures. The study was underpinned by the constructivist paradigm, which employed a qualitative research approach with an exploratory case study design. Constructivists support qualitative and interpretive approaches that seek deep, contextual understanding rather than generalizable laws. The study used semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, observations and document reviews. Data were collected from a criterion-purposive sample of 27 participants (8 teachers, 3 officials from voluntary organizations, and 16 learners with hearing impairments). Data collected through interviews and focus group discussions were analyzed using a thematic analysis protocol, followed by content analysis of the reviewed documents and observations. The study found that CBR services offered in inclusive schools include sign language interpretation services, instructional materials, infrastructure development (both physical and technological), and school fee subsidies. It was further revealed that services are provided in three ways: categorically, individually, and through a whole- school approach. The study recommends that voluntary organizations should adopt a bottom-up approach, from project planning to implementation. The study further recommends that the government develop training programs for teachers to use categorical, individualized, and whole-school approaches in inclusive schools.