Inclusive Education: Between Policy Commitment and School Reality

Inclusive education is increasingly regarded as a step towards achieving educational equity in Indonesia. Various policies have been issued to guarantee the right of children with special needs to access education on an equal footing with other learners. The presence of inclusive schools is evidence that the state is striving to open wider learning spaces for all children, regardless of their physical, mental, and social conditions. However, amidst these policies, questions still arise about the extent to which government support is truly felt by schools implementing inclusive education.

Inclusive education is not merely about placing children with special needs in regular schools. More than that, it demands the creation of a learning environment capable of accommodating the needs of every learner. From a social inclusion perspective, every individual has an equal right to participate in community life, including obtaining a quality education. Therefore, the success of inclusive education cannot be measured solely by the increasing number of inclusive education providers, but also by the quality of services provided to learners with special needs.

In terms of regulation, Indonesia actually has a fairly strong foundation. Law Number 20 of 2003 on the National Education System, Minister of National Education Regulation Number 70 of 2009 on Inclusive Education, and Law Number 8 of 2016 on Persons with Disabilities demonstrate the state’s commitment to guaranteeing education rights for persons with disabilities. However, strong regulations do not always align with the conditions schools face in daily practice.

This gap is reflected in various national education data. According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), around 17.85 per cent of persons with disabilities over the age of five have never attended formal education. On the other hand, the government continues to promote the implementation of inclusive education in various regions. Yet, this expansion of access has not always been accompanied by adequate readiness in terms of facilities, teaching staff, or support systems. This condition indicates that the current issue of inclusive education is not only about the opportunity to attend school, but also the education system’s ability to optimally meet the learning needs of learners with special needs.

One of the challenges still widely encountered is the limitation of facilities that are friendly to learners with special needs. Not all schools have the infrastructure to support the needs of children with physical impairments or other special requirements. In fact, accessibility is a basic prerequisite for achieving equitable education. It is difficult to discuss inclusive education if the school environment itself is not yet fully capable of accommodating the needs of its learners.

The next challenge lies in the curriculum aspect. Although inclusive schools accept learners with diverse characteristics, the curriculum used is still dominated by an approach designed for regular learners. As a result, teachers often have to make adjustments independently so that learning materials can be understood by all learners. This condition shows that inclusive education requires a more adaptive and flexible curriculum so that the learning needs of every child can be met optimally.

This issue becomes more complex with the still limited presence of special needs support teachers (GPK) in regular schools. The presence of support teachers plays an important role in helping children with special needs follow the learning process and adapt to the school environment. However, in many schools, this role is still unavailable, so the responsibility for support is largely borne by the classroom teacher. Furthermore, training on inclusive education for regular teachers is also still uneven. Not a few schools send only one teacher to attend training, while other teachers must learn independently to handle the diverse needs of learners.

These findings align with research by Dori Sri Wahyuni and Irdamurni (2024) on the implementation of inclusive education in primary schools providing inclusive education. The research showed that inclusive education training has not been evenly provided to all teachers, causing many educators to experience difficulties in handling learners with special needs. The research also found that the absence of Special Needs Support Teachers (GPK) is one of the obstacles in the inclusive learning process. This condition indicates that the challenges faced by schools are not isolated issues, but remain challenges found in the practice of inclusive education across various regions.

These various problems show that the success of inclusive education depends not only on the existence of policies, but also on the tangible support available within the school environment. In this context, the scaffolding theory proposed by Lev Vygotsky can help explain the importance of support systems in children’s learning processes. According to Vygotsky, learners can achieve higher abilities when they receive appropriate assistance and support from their surrounding environment. In inclusive education, this support can take the form of adequate facilities, an adaptive curriculum, special support staff, or teachers who have the competence to assist learners with special needs.

The gap between policy commitment and school reality shows that the challenge of inclusive education in Indonesia no longer lies in the existence or absence of regulations. Various regulations have demonstrated the state’s commitment.