Infrastructures scolaires et éducation inclusive dans le département du Mfoundi du Cameroun

Abstract

Countries have worked to make their education systems more inclusive, adopting laws and policies to integrate students with a wide range of needs into mainstream education. Many students have had the opportunity to be educated alongside their peers. However, being integrated into the mainstream system does not necessarily create a sense of belonging. Inclusive education cannot happen without an inclusive school. This report, entitled Infrastructures scolaires et éducation inclusive dans le département du Mfoundi (School infrastructures and inclusive education in the Mfoundi department), shows the inadequacy of school infrastructures for the practice of inclusive education. The primary objective is to show the shortcomings of secondary schools in terms of accessibility and safety, in order to give some recommendations for making them inclusive. Inclusive schools are based on the belief that every student has and will achieve the capacity to learn and succeed and that diversity is a positive experience for all students. In an inclusive school, all students are welcomed, feel they belong, fulfil their potential and contribute to school life every day. In an inclusive school, all students, regardless of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status or educational needs, have the opportunity to be engaged and fulfilled through their presence, participation and learning. This study assesses the secondary school infrastructure in the Mfoundi department with a view to promoting a school culture of inclusion and strengthening their sense of belonging. It describes good practices of an inclusive school ethos and the elements that may hinder it. It discusses the steps that schools can take to develop an inclusive culture and management processes.