The Zero Reject policy: a way forward for inclusive education in Malaysia?

ABSTRACT

The recent introduction of the Zero Reject policy in Malaysia signals a historical shift towards a more inclusive educational environment and a point of departure from the previous inclusive education policy. Based on this context, this article examines the influence of wider policies, both international and national, on the development of Malaysia’s Zero Reject policy. It does so by firstly historically locating the Zero Reject policy within the international and national policy landscape and then by examining how the notion of inclusive education has been interpreted in the Zero Reject policy. The findings revealed that there appears to be a combination of the medical and rights-based discourses in the Zero Reject policy. In moving forward, this article suggests researchers examine the enactment of the Zero Reject policy at various implementation levels which may shed light on the effectiveness of the inclusive education policy in Malaysia. In addition, a recommendation to recognise children from other groups of disabilities in future education policies in Malaysia is made so as to achieve inclusion and participation for all children with disabilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusive education
• education policy
• disability
• special educational needs

Acknowledgement

The author gratefully acknowledges Dr. Donella Cobb, Dr. Carol Hamilton, and Yap Jia Rong from Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education at the University of Waikato, and the anonymous reviewers for their comments on early versions of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest is reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mellisa Chin

Mellisa Chin is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Her doctoral research project focuses on the development of inclusive education policies for children with disabilities in Malaysia. She earned her B.Ed. and M.Ed. from the University of Malaya (Malaysia). Her research interests include inclusive education, children with special educational needs, and learning disabilities.