IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR NIGERIAN CHILDREN:LIBRARIAN’S ROLES AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Inclusive education is a shift from the normal practice that has separated schools for children
with special needs differently from children without any form of disability. Inclusiveness shifts
the educational system and structures from segregation and discrimination but brings every
learner into the mainstream of education irrespective of disability, gender, giftedness, ethnicity
and other characteristics. It is against this backdrop that the role of librarians becomes
inevitable in school settings and society settings at large especially when it has to do with the
implementation of inclusive education in Nigerian schools. This paper therefore attempts to
examine the concept of inclusive education; the librarian’s role in inclusive education which
include the provision information resources, organising library orientation, provision of sound
library services and selective dissemination of information for study and learning. The paper
pointed out some importance of inclusive education to include equal access to learning,
removal of discriminatory attitudes, marginalization and practices among children in order to
reduce barriers to learning.Also some of the challenges that may hinder librarians' roles in the
implementation of inclusive education for Nigerian children was discussed which included
inadequate funding, lack of inclusive education principles in the curriculum of library schools,
inadequate infrastructures such as library buildings, internet, computers and Braille;
inadequate trained teacher librarians for the implementation.