Benefits and concerns: parents’ perceptions of inclusive schooling for children with special educational needs (SEN) in Bhutan

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study explored Bhutanese parents’ perceptions of the benefits and their concerns in relation to the inclusive education of their children with special educational needs (SEN). Twenty-six parents (13 fathers and 13 mothers) of children with SEN, either fully or partially included in three pilot schools with SEN programmes located in urban, semi-urban, and rural regions in Bhutan were individually interviewed. The thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that inclusion was associated with social benefits for parents of children with developmental disabilities, while parents of children with physical disabilities perceived the caring and supportive environment as the major gain from inclusion. For a few parents, the inclusion of their child in the school alleviated some of the burden of daily care. Most parents were satisfied with their children in the school, despite limited school resources, although their concerns for behavioural problems, bullying and lack of academic learning persisted. Implications for parent advocacy in the school and the need for counselling both for parents and their children, and training for teachers are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Parents
• perceptions
• benefits
• concerns
• inclusion
• Bhutan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Mr. Karma Jigyel is currently a PhD candidate in Inclusive Education at the School of Education in the University of New England. Prior to his PhD study, Karma taught for ten years as a lecturer in Paro College of Education at the Royal University of Bhutan. His research interests are in the areas of inclusive education, assessment in primary schools, and mathematics education (secondary and primary level).

Associate Professor Judith A. Miller has been actively contributing to pre-service teacher education teaching and research for over two decades at the University of New England. Judith has contributed to both collaborative research and curriculum development in Bhutan, most recently championing study programs for young Australian teachers to experience educational experiences in Bhutan through the New Colombo Plan Scholarships.

Dr Sofia Mavropoulou is currently a Senior Lecturer at the School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education and Study Area Coordinator for the area of Inclusive Education (Master of Education) in the Faculty of Education at QUT. Her research projects are focused in the area of autism with a particular interest in the delivery of educational interventions in inclusive contexts and in parenting experiences and social inequalities.

Jeanette Berman is an Associate Professor of Inclusive Education at the University of New England. Her professional career in school psychology complements an academic career in teacher and psychologist education in Australia and New Zealand. Research interests include student voice, dynamic assessment, and learning intervention for students experiencing learning difficulties.

Notes

1 All the Bhutanese authors are listed with cultural alignment, which is contrary to the Chicago Author-Date (16th ed.) convention. This is being enacted, considering the cultural appropriateness of Bhutanese names, where the majority are addressed with one or two given names. Bhutanese names do not adopt surnames. These authors are referenced in the Bhutanese cultural convention and may, in some cases, deviate from their original published form.

2 Full inclusion refers to full placement in a regular classroom.

3 Partial inclusion refers to a combination of placement in the regular classroom and in a SEN unit, or attendance in a SEN unit for part of the day.

4 Walking to school, as transport, is the norm in Bhutan. There are few taxis or buses to regularly collect students to school as is the practice in Western countries. Lack of mobility or not being able to be carried to school by siblings or parents has been a major barrier to Education for many.