MANAGEMENT OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY IN UPPER BASIC EDUCATION IN ABUJA MUNICIPAL AREA COUNCIL, FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, NIGERIA
This paper aimed at identifying types of diversity in schools, analyzing stakeholders’ understanding of diversity and inclusivity, and examine their roles and actions towards the realization of these concepts in upper basic education within Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Nigeria. It compared the practices against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 and Nigeria’s National Policy on Inclusive Education. The study was guided by a descriptive research design. Four schools (two private and two public) were studied. Sixteen (16) teachers (four from each school) completed a questionnaire developed by the researcher, while semi-structured interviews were held with the principal (leader) of each school. Mean and percentage were used to answer the research question, while the binomial test was used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. Teacher respondents reported strong conceptual awareness of diversity and inclusivity; 80% affirmed that their training equipped them for differentiated instruction, while 94% reported that challenges such as large classroom size and paucity of resources make inclusion impossible. Overall, the paper found that school leaders and teachers in AMAC understand and manage diversity and inclusivity in areas of gender, socio-economic status, and religion, but are handicapped in supporting students with special needs challenges. This practice contrasts with the UN 4 Developmental Goals and Nigeria’s Inclusive Policy. The paper recommended professional development for inclusive pedagogy and governmental funding and support.
Keywords: This paper aimed at identifying types of diversity in schools, analyzing stakeholders’ understanding of diversity and inclusivity, and examine their roles and actions towards the realization of these concepts in upper basic education within Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Nigeria. It compared the practices against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 and Nigeria’s National Policy on Inclusive Education. The study was guided by a descriptive research design. Four schools (two private and two public) were studied. Sixteen (16) teachers (four from each school) completed a questionnaire developed by the researcher, while semi-structured interviews were held with the principal (leader) of each school. Mean and percentage were used to answer the research question, while the binomial test was used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. Teacher respondents reported strong conceptual awareness of diversity and inclusivity; 80% affirmed that their training equipped them for differentiated instruction, while 94% reported that challenges such as large classroom size and paucity of resources make inclusion impossible. Overall, the paper found that school leaders and teachers in AMAC understand and manage diversity and inclusivity in areas of gender, socio-economic status, and religion, but are handicapped in supporting students with special needs challenges. This practice contrasts with the UN 4 Developmental Goals and Nigeria’s Inclusive Policy. The paper recommended professional development for inclusive pedagogy and governmental funding and support.