Inclusive Education: Transforming challenges into opportunities 

Fifteen years ago, when the concept of inclusive education was still in its infancy in Pakistan, it was not uncommon to meet teachers who had never even heard the term. Today, the situation has changed significantly. Teachers across both public and private schools are now familiar with the idea, reflecting the country’s progress in this critical area of education.

However, while awareness has improved, challenges remain in understanding what inclusive education truly means. For some educators, it is simply about placing children with special needs in mainstream classrooms. Others interpret it as grouping children with disabilities according to age and attempting to provide them with education. A third group sees it as providing specific modifications for students with special needs. Only a comparatively smaller number of teachers and schools view inclusive education in its broader, more progressive sense— creating flexible learning environments that accommodate the needs of all learners. These varying interpretations have led to diverse models of implementation across Pakistan.

Interestingly, the private sector has often been more proactive in adopting inclusive practices than public schools. Street schools, religious schools, rural schools, and non-formal setups have, in many cases, shown greater openness and acceptance of children with special needs compared to public and elite schools. Yet, in recent years, the government has taken notable steps toward making the public education system more inclusive. These initiatives indicate strong intentions, and if pursued effectively, the public sector could play a transformative role. With over 25 million children currently out of school in Pakistan, the adoption of inclusive practices within public schools could be a turning point in bringing millions of diverse learners into the education system.

Research consistently highlights that, despite growing awareness, schools in Pakistan continue to face major hurdles in implementing inclusive practices. Among the most pressing challenges are inaccessible physical infrastructure, rigid and inflexible school policies, lack of ownership by school leaders, weak professional collaboration among teachers, and limited teacher preparedness. These challenges slow down the progress towards an equitable education system.

It is a fact that a country like Pakistan is faced with multifaceted economic and socio-political challenges. The situation is almost the same in different low and middle income countries. In these countries resources are limited and specialized professionals are scarce, therefore, innovative and context-sensitive models are needed to make inclusive education a reality.

Several international examples illustrate how existing systems can be reimagined to strengthen inclusive practices. In Montenegro, for instance, the Ministry of Education re-designated three special schools as Resource Centres— transforming them into national hubs mandated to support inclusion rather than substitute for it. This paradigm shift, moving away from a “special school” mentality, was not without resistance. Educators feared losing their jobs and doubted the feasibility of inclusion. However, through pilot projects and outreach, mindsets gradually changed. Staff in these centres began to see themselves not as segregated caregivers but as partners in each child’s education, working hand in hand with families and mainstream teachers.

Similarly, in Armenia, the Open Society Foundation began engaging with schools in the early 1990s to pilot special school resource centres. The initiative drew on the expertise within the special education system to support mainstream schools, ensuring that children with diverse special education needs could receive appropriate assistance. This approach also helped bring special schools into the fold of inclusive education rather than leaving them on its margins.

Pakistan has come a long way since the early days when inclusive education was little understood. The progress made so far— through greater awareness, government commitment, and the proactive role of private organizations and non-profits— offers hope that the country is moving steadily toward an education system where diversity is valued, and all learners are given the opportunity to thrive.

As noted by Lani Florian in her 2021 book, the value driving such reforms is a clear expectation that special schools should be reframed as resources for inclusion. Across Europe and beyond, countries that have transformed special schools into resource centres are demonstrating how existing expertise can be repurposed to build stronger, more inclusive education systems.

These international experiences serve as important reminders for countries like Pakistan: inclusive education does not always require building entirely new systems— it often requires rethinking and redesigning the structures we already have.

In Pakistan, a notable example in this regard, is the Rising Sun Education and Welfare Society, a non-profit organization that has been actively supporting inclusive education for over 16 years now. Rising Sun has trained thousands of mainstream school teachers and administrators across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir. Its team of experienced professionals not only provides teacher training but also assists schools in creating inclusive environments, revising policies, conducting screening camps, and raising awareness about diversity and special needs in sub urban and rural communities. This local, cost-effective model demonstrates how partnerships between specialized institutions and mainstream schools can sustain inclusive practices nationwide.

Feedback from teachers and school leaders highlights that training and collaboration with the Rising Sun team stands out for being both hands-on and practical. Unlike conventional trainings that often remain confined to theory, this model bridges the gap between knowledge and practice. By grounding training in real-world realities, the approach equips teachers not only with theoretical understanding but also with the practical skills needed to make their classrooms truly inclusive.

One striking example illustrates the effectiveness of this approach. A teacher, after learning about hand and arm placement techniques to support writing, was able to adapt a simple intervention in her classroom. By placing wooden planks on a child’s chair to provide arm support, she enabled the student to write independently for the very first time. Considering the setting— a one-room school in a rural area of South Punjab— this innovation was nothing short of remarkable. It demonstrated how a teacher, once aware of the challenge, could devise a practical, low-cost solution to transform a child’s learning experience.

Such instances underline a critical lesson: reality is socially constructed, and no initiative in education can succeed without taking local contexts and ground realities into account. Models that combine professional expertise with practical, context-driven solutions not only empower teachers but also ensure that inclusion moves beyond policy into practice.

Globally, there are many successful examples of special education institutions transforming into resource centers that support mainstream schools. Pakistan has already begun to adopt this model through initiatives like Rising Sun, offering a tested and scalable approach. Such partnerships provide schools with the professional support and multidisciplinary resources needed to ensure that every child, regardless of ability, can access quality education.

Pakistan has come a long way since the early days when inclusive education was little understood. The progress made so far— through greater awareness, government commitment, and the proactive role of private organizations and non-profits— offers hope that the country is moving steadily toward an education system where diversity is valued, and all learners are given the opportunity to thrive.