Inclusive
higher education :
A
dream for people with disabilities
Antoni Tsaputra ;
The
writer is a disabled person who obtained his master’s in journalism and mass
communications at Griffith University, Australia. He currently works at the
Padang municipal social affairs office and is an instructor at Bung Hatta
University, Padang
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JAKARTA
POST, 18 Maret 2014
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Inclusive
education is an effective instrument to build inclusive and equitable
societies. It holds to the notion that schools serve as educating communities
through which students may learn values, attitudes and skills to support the
inclusion of all citizens in society.
In other
words, this system aims to enable students with disabilities to study and
mingle with other students within a similar education system. The Education
and Culture Ministry has mandated the implementation of inclusive education
at regular schools.
However,
the education system has yet to fully fulfill the rights of students with
disabilities.
Several
schools have attempted to implement inclusive education. However, they are
mainly primary schools and a few secondary schools. Having gone through such
schools, I am aware that people with disabilities are normally directed to
participate in vocational training to equip them with basic skills such as
making handicrafts, massaging, carving and painting. Such skills are deemed
to be sufficient for them to make ends meet.
This is
surely far from progressive. In fact, disabled persons should be given the
opportunity to pursue higher education in universities.
Given
the fact that the government has increased educational spending to about 20
percent of the national budget, this should have covered educational
improvement and empowerment for people with disabilities. For example, the
government should allocate a specific amount of funds to build access and
facilities in universities such as ramps, toilets for disabled people and
technology required to remove any barriers during their studies.
Nevertheless,
we have seen no change in this country. Discrimination is rampant in higher
education institutions. In fact, on the website of the 2014 State University
Entrance Selection (SNMPTN), snmptn.ac.id, it says that the national
university selection committee requires that applicants of particular
programs are not deaf, blind, mute, physically disabled or color blind.
It is
not a rare occurrence to see persons with disabilities denied their rights to
higher education. For instance, a person who requires a wheelchair is not
allowed to enroll in a School of Medicine, a student with a visual impairment
is denied enrollment in a School of Art, among many other instances.
These
institutions state a variety of reasons for their objections toward students
with disabilities. Among other reasons, they say that they are not prepared
to accommodate students with disabilities due to a lack of access and facilities.
Even worse, although implicitly, they seem to fear that the existence of
students with disabilities in their institutions might undermine their
credibility. Such cases show that people with disabilities are marginalized
and discriminated against when they wish to achieve higher education.
Law No.
19/2011 on Indonesia’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities obliges the country to acknowledge the educational
rights of differently abled people. Similarly, the 1945 Constitution
guarantees the right to an education for every citizen indiscriminately.
Therefore,
the implementation of inclusive education all the way up to higher education
should eliminate such shameful cases. To be able to enjoy higher education with
good access and facilities might still be a dream for people with
disabilities in Indonesia as the government often thinks there are more
pressing issues at hand, such as teachers’ wages, the controversies
surrounding the national exam, passing grade indexes and so forth.
This indicates that the so-called educated society in Indonesia still
maintains a negative view toward disability issues. ●
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