Challenges Faced by Parents When Providing Education to the Students Who Are Studying in Special Need Education Units

Abstract

In the education system, teaching is done by dividing the children into two main categories i.e. special and normal children. This pretext is based on their so-called physical and mental abilities. According to their abilities, either child is studying in normal classrooms or special classrooms. In order to teach students who has special needs, special teaching units have been formed. When teaching in those units, a special teaching mechanism is used. It is called the Integrated Education System (IES). In these units, specialized and well-trained teachers identify the needs of children and teach them through these IESs. But even though this process affected the differently-abled child, real repercussions are faced by the parents. In other words, parents are the particular persons who face challenges when they educate their children. In that sense, parents are facing lots of troublesome consequences not only in society but also in the smallest social institute; family. Accordingly, to address the above issue, the research problem has been made to find out the challenges faced by the parents in providing education to the students who are studying in the special education units. The research aims to identify the challenges that parents face in providing education to students, who are studying in special education units. The research has been conducted from an inductive approach. Thus, this has been studied as a qualitative study by collecting qualitative data under a qualitative methodology. Primary data was collected by doing in-depth interviews. As secondary data, data from journals, research reports, and statistics were gathered. The research findings were; Inadequate transportation facilities to and from school for special children, economic hardship, abuse of special needs children in the school environment, abusing attempts by ordinary people, frustration over the fate of children with the sudden death of parents and especially, parents are being marginalized in social gatherings has been identified. The conclusion of the study was; Although the special education system has taken a positive approach in the Sri Lankan education system, it has also contributed to the exclusion and labelling of children with special needs in society at school. But that education system is the only support for these families. No matter what social strata they represent, all the families have uncertainty about the future of their child/ren. Though this situation is unfair, the parents are willing the betterment of their children after their death. Therefore, they are thinking that facing harsh challenges will be nothing on behalf of the betterment of their future. And this is equally challenging for the different social strata of society. Accordingly, it is not wrong to point out that through this system of education, a section of the population of the country faces mental frustrations in their daily lives but the government has not taken up an adequate level of effort for new education reform for them.