Transforming the education systems for children with disability in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste

A great deal of research indicates that over 100 million children worldwide are marginalised from education, including about 40 million with some form of disability living in the Asia Pacific region. In countries with high levels of human poverty and low national human development, education is an important vehicle to employment, independence, and social and political empowerment. For children with disability, education holds the potential to transform experiences of deprivation into opportunities for greater personal freedom and family and community respect and belonging. East Asia and Pacific studies have linked low school attendance rates for children with disability in such island nations as Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste with traditional beliefs about the causes of disability and family shame. This study sought to reveal and understand the complexities of education provision in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, with a view to offering recommendations for growth in Timor-Leste’s system of education for children with disability. In both countries, approximately 99% of children with disability are excluded from the education system. Prior studies have shed light on the impact of such diseases as malaria, chronic malnutrition, and an inadequate health system on survival rates for young children. Many of these studies also highlight the challenges of providing quality education in overcrowded classrooms with limited educational resources and professional training in disability-inclusive teaching methods. Papua New Guinea’s education system was chosen for intensive study as, despite the complex human development challenges facing the country, the government had transformed its segregated education system for children with disability into an inclusive system for all children. The researcher sought to gain historical and current perspectives on the transformation process, and identify features of the inclusive education system that may have relevance and application for children with disability in Timor-Leste. The research approach employed in this study included collection and analysis of the professional and personal perspectives of 32 education and rehabilitation leaders and practitioners working in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, and has been supported by analysis of documentary data in related fields of study. Research methods included case study interviews in Papua New Guinea, establishment of a Timor-Leste reference group of educational leaders, and development of an analysis model to guide data coding, analysis, interpretation, and display. One of the most important discoveries made during the course of this study was the limited impact of the 20 years of educational reform in Papua New Guinea on enrolment rates for children with disability. This discovery resulted in an emphasis on transformative human rights and empowerment perspectives in the study’s conclusions and recommendations. The recommendations offered promote transformation of educational marginalisation and disadvantage for Timor-Leste’s children with disability through government and civil society partnerships that promote and support equitable participation of people with disability in educational leadership, governance, and infrastructure development at all levels of the education system.