Challenges and Recommendations for Realizing Inclusive Education in Indonesia

Unesa.ac.id. SURABAYA-Children with special needs or ABK are still faced with the stigma of society, and other problems such as sexual behavior for example. This problem often occurs, but is rarely discussed openly or still considered taboo.

This was one of the important points conveyed by Endang Pudjiastuti Sartinah, when delivering her inaugural speech as a professor, on October 29, 2024 at the Sawunggaling Performance Building, UNESA, Campus 2 Lidah Wetan.

The UNESA professor of guidance and counseling for children with special needs said that until now, the topic of sexual behavior is often considered taboo by teachers and parents, so that efforts to handle it have not been maximized.

“Therefore, guidance on sexual behavior is a very important service to provide, especially for children with disabilities,” she said.

Mentor teachers and parents have a central role in this service. The main objective is to ensure that students' sexual behavior is in accordance with applicable norms and values, such as religious, socio-cultural and legal norms.

In order for this service to be maximized, reference materials are needed that can assist mentor teachers and parents in providing appropriate sexual behavior guidance services for children with disabilities.

The reference material in question can be in the form of a sexual behavior guidance service package such as the one developed by Endang Pudjiastuti Sartinah and her team. The guidance service package they developed is specifically for the mentally retarded.

“We have tested it in SLB AKW 2 and SLB Dharmawanita Sidoarjo. The products of this research include booklets, manuals, and three educational films, including 'Your Happy Smile' and 'Your Happy Anganku',” she explained.

Solutions and Recommendations

Realizing holistic inclusive education is certainly not without challenges. In the field, there are still many obstacles faced, ranging from the lack of counselors specially trained to handle children with disabilities, to an education system that is not fully adaptive to the needs of children with special needs.

These challenges should not be a barrier. Instead, they should be a driving force to continue to innovate in the field of education and counseling. According to Endang Pudjiastuti Sartinah, there are at least three recommendations for improving the professional quality of guidance and counseling for children with disabilities.

First, strengthening training for counselors. Education counselors must receive adequate training in working with children with disabilities.

This training should include an in-depth understanding of the needs of children with different types of disabilities, as well as practical skills in providing appropriate support.

Second, collaboration between schools, parents and communities. Inclusive education can only be successful if all parties involved (school, family and community) work closely together. The education counselor should be an active liaison in promoting this collaboration.

Third, the development of supportive policies. The government and educational institutions must continue to develop policies that support the success of inclusive education, including the allocation of sufficient resources for guidance and counseling services."[*]

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Reporter Team: Retno Nurus Sholekha (internaship)

Editor: @zam*

Photo: UNESA HUMAS Team

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