Perceptions and experiences of teachers in Zimbabwe on inclusive education and teacher training: the value of Unhu/Ubuntu philosophy

ABSTRACT

Inclusive education initiatives have been endorsed globally, especially by international development agencies. This study sought to get the views and experience of both in-service and trainee teachers about inclusive education and teacher training in the aftermath of the implementation of the ‘new’ Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education 2015–2022 in Zimbabwe. This new curriculum is said to be grounded in Unhu/Ubuntu philosophy. I use Unhu/Ubuntu philosophy as an evaluative and conceptual framework to examine inclusivity issues within the new curriculum. Drawing on a qualitative study involving content analysis, two key informant interviews and four focus group discussions on teacher education and inclusive education conducted in Manicaland province in the eastern part of Zimbabwe, findings highlight challenges faced in realising the Unhu/Ubuntu philosophical value of inclusivity in education. These impediments are unsurprisingly similar to those reported in other studies, both in Zimbabwe and in other countries. The paper identifies and highlights some of the reasons why inclusive education has remained elusive and makes some recommendations. It calls for teacher education premised on the indigenous Unhu/ Ubuntu philosophy. In doing this, the paper contributes to debates on inclusive education and discussions on decoloniality of education in postcolonial states.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusion
• education
• Unhu/Ubuntu
• Zimbabwe
• teacher education
• decoloniality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Institute of Education, University College London through the Global Challenges Research Fund.

Notes on contributors

Oliver Mutanga

Oliver Mutanga, PhD, is an Independent Researcher and an Associate Research Fellow in the Open Distance Learning Research Unit, College of Education, University of South Africa. His research mainly focuses on disability, education and health in the Global South.