The State of Inclusive Education in Secondary Schools in Zimbabwe Decades After Independence and the Salamanga Declaration

Abstract

This chapter explores the state of inclusive education in the secondary schools in Zimbabwe decades after independence and the Salamanca Declaration. The thrust of the chapter is very important at a time when inclusive education is increasingly being viewed as a critical element of basic education and a step towards social justice. The chapter shows that inclusive education has remained an illusion at a time when the inclusive framework is expected to have fully developed and to be bearing fruit. This paradox is explained in terms of the historical, cultural, and economic context prevailing in the country. This Zimbabwean context focuses public education on political and economic goals only, disregarding equity and social justice objectives. It is therefore recommended that the purpose of education be redefined to fully embrace the needs of ‘all' and the social justice logics, bearing in mind the context of the local environment.