Policy responses to inclusive secondary education in Malawi

Abstract

This study analyses policy directives and strategies for inclusive secondary education in Malawi. The study argues that policy directives and strategies conceptualize inclusive education as a mere reversal of special education without considering the context of mainstream education, such as roles assigned to mainstream teachers. For example, the policy directives and strategies have not well defined the roles of mainstream teachers, yet mandated the same teachers to translate the directives into actions. This dire situation has led to policy-to-practice disparities in inclusive secondary education. The study uses documentary review and interviews as data generation methods. Disability studies critique is employed as a theoretical substratum to scrutinize inclusive secondary education policy and practice. The study recommends that future policy formulation in Malawi should be informed by teachers’ experiences while putting their defined roles at the centre instead of simply reversing the tenets of special education which has proved to be backfiring.