The Progress of Inclusive Education Toward Agenda 2030 in Indonesia

Nurul Hidayati Rofiah ^a

Suhendri ^b

^aUniversitas Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesia

^bBBGP Jawa Barat, Indonesia

Progress Toward Agenda 2030

ISBN: 978-1-80455-509-5, eISBN: 978-1-80455-508-8

ISSN: 1479-3636

Publication date: 20 September 2023

pdf (385 KB) ePub (2.2 MB)

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), based on the principle of leaving no one behind, ensures that equitable and quality education, as well as inclusion, are available to all, promoting opportunities for those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable including persons with disabilities (PWDs). The Indonesian government has demonstrated a commitment to the rights of PWDs in education. In this chapter, the history, the present, and the future of inclusive education will be presented following the master plan for the development of inclusive education. Strategies including accessibility, reasonable accommodation, and collaboration will be discussed as well as the challenges in implementing inclusive education.

Keywords

Citation

Rofiah, N.H. and Suhendri, (2023), "The Progress of Inclusive Education Toward Agenda 2030 in Indonesia", Lane, D., Catania, N. and Semon, S. (Ed.) Progress Toward Agenda 2030 (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Vol. 21), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 191-207. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-363620230000021013

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Inclusive Education Toward Agenda 2030 in Indonesia

Since Indonesia became independent in 1945, education has been a top priority for development, as stated in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution and in Article 31 before and after the amendment. The Indonesian state guarantees that every citizen has the right to attend basic education and the government is obliged to pay for it without discrimination. All Indonesian citizens can receive an education. However, there are still Indonesian citizens who have not been able to attend proper education, especially those who fall into the category of children with special needs. In the Indonesian education system, Regulation of the Minister of National Education No. 70 of 2009 regulated inclusive education to ensure that all children with physical, emotional, mental, and social challenges, as well as those with the potential for intelligence and/or extraordinary talents, have access to a high-quality education that meets their individual needs and abilities (Rofiah et al., 2020).

The Indonesian government is dedicated to attaining the 2030 Agenda and successfully implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this regard, the Presidential Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia No. 59 of 2017 governs the implementation of the SDGs in Indonesia. The Presidential Regulation is an agreement to ensure that the SDGs are carried out and achieved in a participative and collaborative way. The participants are among the national and municipal governments, community organizations, academics and specialists, philanthropists and business players, civil society organizations, and the media. In order to achieve the SDGs, the Indonesian government anticipates allocating 10,400 trillion rupiah (about US$ 664,643,200), the majority of which would be allocated to infrastructure, health, and education programs (Maudisha, 2022).

The implementation of SDGs has entered a decade of action period. For Indonesia, this momentum is also the time to evaluate the implementation of the first 5 years. The Government of Indonesia has committed to advancing equity and quality of education for all, to achieve the targets of SDG 4 by 2030 (Safitri et al., 2022). The targets in SDG 4 cover various issues and aspects of education, including participation, learning quality and outcomes, school environment, teacher quality, and commitment to global citizenship values. The achievement indicators in SDG 4 can assist the Indonesian government in prioritizing efforts and resources to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The sustainable development report is an assessment of countries' progress toward achieving sustainable development goals. Indonesia's SDGs index rank for 2022 is 82 out of 163 United Nation states members, scoring 69.16 (Sachs et al., 2022). There are three goals with challenges remaining, seven goals with significant challenges remaining, and seven goals with major challenges remaining. Goal 4 to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all is labeled as “challenges remain” (Sachs et al., 2022).

In Indonesia, there are two options for educating children with special needs: inclusion in regular schools, known as inclusive education, or special education. Inclusive education is an approach that allows all children with special needs to engage in education alongside typically developing children. Government Regulation No. 72 of 1991 of the Republic of Indonesia about special education stated that special education is a type of education that is set up separately for students who have physical or mental disorders.

In this chapter, the history, the present, and the future plan for inclusive education will be presented. Some strategies to accelerate progress toward achieving goal 4 will be discussed along with the cultural challenges, policy challenges, and challenges in the practice of inclusive education in Indonesia.

History of Inclusive Education in Indonesia

Inclusive education is an approach that expresses how to change educational structures and other learning atmospheres to meet the needs of a variety of learners (UNESCO, 2021). The primary goal is for the entire educational system to foster learning environments where teachers and students embrace and welcome the challenges and benefits of diversity. An inclusive education approach fosters learning environments in which individual needs are met and every student has a chance to succeed. According to the Minister of Education and Culture Regulation No. 70 of 2009, inclusive education is a system of education that provides opportunities for all students who have disabilities and have the potential of intelligence and/or special talents to participate in education in one educational environment together with other students in general.

In Indonesia, the definition of this inclusive school itself is as stated in the Indonesian motto, “Bhineka Tunggal Ika,” which means that although they are different, they are still one where there is no difference between one another. Since 1901, the practice of providing education for children with special needs has been organized by social institutions and religious groups (Kurniawan & Nurhasanah, 2020). Around the 1960s in Indonesia, the development of inclusive education started again when blind students were included in high schools (Wulandari, 2014).

The government only started to take an active role in real mentoring in the 1980s when it formed special elementary schools, where children with special needs were studied together in school units, but they were still separated from other children which was known as a segregated system. The underlying philosophy is that those with special needs are given separate services and this kind of school system is still considered discriminatory (Budiyanto, 2017).

In 1990, a radical change took place when a strong inclusive education paradigm emerged with humanist content. The core of this paradigm was the provision of services during uniformity. The key was an education system that could accommodate the widest possible diversity of people (Kurniawan & Nurhasanah, 2020). These implications resulted in radical changes both at the conceptual and operational levels. For example, the term disabled children shifted to children with special needs (Budiyanto, 2017).

The government of the Republic of Indonesia has promoted inclusive education since the beginning of 2000. Inclusive education was a continuous program of integrated education that had been introduced in the 1980s. The integrated program was unsuccessful. In 2002, inclusive education was introduced in several cities. At that time, three schools had been appointed in nine provinces in Indonesia that had learning resources. In line with the trend of the demands of world development regarding inclusive education, Indonesia then continued to develop inclusive education.

Lastly, in 2004, a national convention was held producing the Bandung Declaration with Indonesia's commitment to inclusive education (Wulandari, 2014). The Bandung Declaration is one of the pioneers of the implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia (Suharjo et al., 2020). The Bandung Declaration document emphasizes the collaboration among related parties, such as government, educational institutions, related institutions, business and industry, and society to guarantee the success of the implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia.

In 2005, an international symposium was held in Bukittinggi producing the Bukittinggi Recommendations (Wulandari, 2014). This recommendation played an important role to outline the need to continue the development of inclusive education programs in Indonesia to ensure that all children receive quality and proper education after the Bandung Declaration. Furthermore, inclusive education is also hoped to make sure that children's rights have been fulfilled, regardless of their special needs, including children with learning difficulties.

Regulation of Inclusive Education in Indonesia

The Indonesian government has demonstrated a commitment to the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in education. The laws and regulations that support the implementation of inclusive education are Law No. 4 of 1997, concerning PWDs; this law has been revoked and replaced with Law No. 8 of 2016 and Law No. 19 of 2011, on the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of PWDs (See Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.

Regulations on Inclusive Education in Indonesia.

The publication of the Minister of National Education Regulation No. 70 of 2009 demonstrates the government's commitment to the existence of inclusive education. The regional regulation on inclusive education existed before the Minister of National Education regulation, namely Governor Regulation No. 116 of 2007 in Jakarta. For the Special Region of Yogyakarta, the rules for inclusive education are found in Regulation No. 21 of the Province, published in 2013.

In 2020, a new regulation on adequate accommodation for PWDs in education, Regulation No. 13, was implemented. The regulation has three specific methods of preparing educators in inclusive schools: (1) providing inclusive education courses in teacher candidate education programs, (2) supplying special education teachers from educational institutions that accept students with disabilities, and (3) organizing training for educators and education staff. The provision of inclusive education courses in every teacher candidate preparation program at universities and study programs on inclusive education for teacher candidates were also given new measures.

Article 4 paragraph (1) in the Government Regulation No. 13 of 2020 states that one of the determining factors of proper accommodation for students with disabilities is curriculum support by the government. The provision of curriculum support by the government includes graduate competency standards, content standards, process standards, and assessment standards. The policy of providing curriculum support also accommodates the flexibility of the learning process, learning materials, learning outcomes, graduate competencies, and learning evaluation and assessment.

Government Regulation No. 13 of 2020 lists four kinds of administrative sanctions for parties who violate the provisions regarding inclusive education in this regulation: written warnings, discontinuation of educational activities, suspension of education administration license, and revocation of education administration license. If a school does not admit special-needs students, it will be liable to punishment. Schools are prohibited from rejecting students with special needs. The application of these sanctions is based on several factors: (1) evaluation and monitoring by the relevant ministries in charge of affairs in education, (2) evaluation and monitoring by the National Commission for Disabilities, (3) evaluation and monitoring of the provincial government, (4) evaluation and monitoring by the district or city government, and (5) complaints from the public.

Master Plan of Inclusive Education 2019–2024

The 2012 UNESCO Education For All Global Monitoring Report ranks Indonesia 64th out of 120 nations for education quality (National Development Planning Agency, 2022). In 2015, Indonesia ranked 57th out of 115 nations on the Education for All Development Index (National Development Planning Agency, 2022). Indonesia still lags behind Malaysia (ranked 62) and Singapore (ranked 11). Therefore, the goal of education is expected to be able to increase Indonesia's competitiveness in supporting the Agenda 2030 SDGs.

SDG 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all with 10 targets (see United Nations, 2022). Indonesia developed the master plan for Inclusive Education for 2019–2024 to achieve targets in SDG4. Based on the evaluation of how inclusive education is implemented in Indonesia, the review and revision of the previous master plan have been done. The Curriculum Sub-Directorate, Directorate of Special Education Development and Special Services, Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education, and Ministry of Education and Culture formulated the Grand Design or Master Plan for National Level Inclusive Education Development for 2019–2024. Through surveys, focus group discussions, workshops, and seminars, the National Level Inclusive Education Development Master Plan was created as a guide for the implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia.

The National Level Inclusive Education Development Master Plan is divided into three stages (Directorate of Special Education and Special Services, 2019). Phase I (2017–2018) includes the consolidation and implementation of inclusive education. The plan for phase II (2019–2021) includes strengthening the strategy and implementation of inclusive education, and phase III (2022–2024) includes improving the quality and culture of inclusion (Fig. 2). Seven interdependent and indivisible elements comprise the inclusive education master plan. These components include themes, macro-objectives, program scope, achievement strategies, outputs and outcomes, monitoring and evaluation, and goals. See Table 1 for detailed information on Mapping Inclusive Education Development Master Plan 2019–2024.

Fig. 2.

Master Plan of Inclusive Education in Indonesia (2020–2024).

Table 1.

Mapping Inclusive Education Development Master Plan 2019–2024.

No	Theme/Goals	Programs	Year of Implementation
No	Theme/Goals	Programs	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
1	Increasing number of pilot inclusive education schools	Pioneering schools providing inclusive education	√	√
1	Increasing number of pilot inclusive education schools	Guidance of pilot inclusive education schools	√	√
2	Improved understanding, accommodative attitude, and participation of parents, teachers, and community leaders in the implementation of inclusive education	Socialization of inclusive education to parents, teachers, and community leaders			√
2		Empowerment of school committees in supporting the implementation of inclusive education			√
3	Increase physical and nonphysical accessibility in the implementation of inclusive education	The improvement of building infrastructures and school environment					√	√
3		Improved social accessibility services					√	√
4	Improving the competence of special guidance teachers	Implementation of inclusive education technical guidance for special guidance teachers				√	√
5	Improving the quality of inclusive education for pilot and impact schools	The implementation of inclusive education in pilot schools				√	√	√
5		The implementation of inclusive education in impact schools				√	√	√
6	Increasing the role of partner institutions in the implementation of inclusive education	Implementing a partnership program for inclusive school with relevant stakeholders		√	√	√
7	Increasing the role of provinces/districts/cities in inclusive education	Fostering and strengthening the role of provinces/districts/cities in the development of inclusive education		√	√	√
8	Increase understanding and implementation of an inclusive culture in the family, school, and community	Provision of educational information communication media					√	√
8		Increasing the role of school committees and inclusive working groups in realizing an inclusive culture in the family, school, and community through socialization and mentoring					√	√
9	Realization of regulatory strengthening and synchronization	Assessment and formulation of inclusive education regulations	√	√	√
10	National data on children with special needs are obtained, both those who have and have not received education services	Conducting screening and identification for children with special needs nationally	√	√	√
11	Fulfilling the needs of special teachers in inclusive schools	Analysis of the needs of special teachers in inclusive schools in collaboration with related institutions				√	√
12	Improving the function and role of special school as a resource center in supporting of inclusive education	Increasing the function and role of special school as a resource center in the implementation of inclusive education			√
13	Increasing the role of provincial/district/city governments in accordance with Law no. 23 of 2014 about local government	Issuance of a circular on increasing the role of local governments in the implementation of inclusive education	√	√	√
		Assistance for schools providing inclusive education	√	√	√
		Assistance for teachers in every province/district/city	√	√	√

Even though Indonesia has now entered the third phase, namely quality improvement and cultural inclusion, there are still issues associated with the consolidation and implementation of inclusive education in the first phase and the strengthening of inclusive education strategy and implementation in the second phase. For example, Rofiah et al. (2020) indicates that having too many students in a class, including students with special needs, limits the teacher's ability to use a method that varies in conveying subject matter to all students. Moreover, the government pays little attention to the need for professional development for teachers in Indonesian inclusive schools to improve their skills and knowledge (Djone & Suryani, 2019; Fitria, 2012). Educational facilities, such as media and learning resources for children with special needs are limited in regular schools in Indonesia, with some schools lacking Braille textbooks and talking books for blind students (Lintangsari & Emaliana, 2020).

The success of implementing a program plan is dependent on the sincerity with which it is carried out; nevertheless, a decent plan will be useless if it is not performed seriously. As a result, commitment to implementing it becomes critical. Materechera (2018) found that school commitment is one of the most important aspects of implementing inclusive education. Schools must be able to change and adapt in serving children with special needs. This is also supported by Schlessinger (2018) where teacher commitment is needed in respecting diversity and promoting equality of participation for all students.

Challenges in Implementing Inclusive Education

The implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia faces challenging situations. Typically, these problems are classified into three primary groups: cultural challenges, policy challenges, and challenges in the practice of inclusive education.

Cultural Challenges

In reality, the foundation of Indonesian culture is an inclusive culture. Indonesia was built on the idea of Bhineka Tunggal Ika, which puts a high value on diversity and multiculturalism. The inclusion of the Indonesian people is evidenced by their appreciation of religious, linguistic, regional, and cultural distinctions, as well as customary variances. However, the implementation of inclusive education in the cultural aspect continues to confront numerous obstacles, one of which is the absence of an attitude of tolerating and valuing differences. The inability to accept and respect differences can be observed in the actions of teachers, school principals, parents, and policymakers; for instance, there is still discrimination against individuals who are different from the average person due to disability, culture/religion, or economic circumstances (Bonati & Adriana, 2021). Therefore, it is challenging for children with special needs to be admitted into mainstream schools.

One of the cultural issues is that there is still a lack of acceptance and respect for differences (Tarnoto, 2016). Children with disabilities experience problems at school and in the community, including bullying, discriminatory attitudes, and a lack of parental information. After entering school, children with disabilities frequently report being bullied by classmates and peers (Sentenac et al., 2011). Bullying is a social integration barrier for students with special needs (Hartley et al., 2015). Liasidou and Ioannidou (2021) reveal that bullying is the outcome of children's negative representations of disability as “difference.” When teachers do not allow children with impairments to engage in class activities or do not provide them with the same opportunities as their peers, children with disabilities are frequently discriminated against. In addition, school committees and parents of children with disabilities recognize that the reluctance of parents of children without disabilities to accept children with disabilities in regular schools is a barrier to the creation of an inclusive learning environment.

Policy Challenges

The Indonesian policy on inclusive education is adequate. This can be seen from the laws and regulations, such as the National Education System Law, which specifies that children with special needs may participate in all paths, types, and degrees of education (Badrudin et al., 2017). Law No. 35 of 2014 concerning child protection law also ensures the protection of all children's rights, while the disability law (Law No. 8 of 2016) ensures the rights and protection of those with disabilities, including the right to education (Main Directorate of Guidance and Legal Development of State Financial Audit, 2022). However, what remains a big challenge is that there is no clear consistency between the laws/regulations that have been made and their implementation. What is written in the law cannot be fully implemented (Warman, 2021). The lack of local government commitment to implement inclusive education is considered a challenge in the implementation of inclusive education policies (Ministry of Education and Culture, 2018).

Local governments implement central ministry policies and laws. The local government is responsible for establishing local legislation, appointing inclusive schools, organizing training for inclusive school instructors, modifying infrastructure, and funding the inclusive education program. Each subdistrict is required by the Minister of National Education Regulation No. 70 of 2009 to provide at least one inclusive school and one co-teacher with the necessary equipment and resources to assist students with disabilities.

Many local governments do not have local regulations to implement inclusive education although they are required to under current national regulatory frameworks. From 2009 to 2021, 20.6% of cities and districts (106 out of 514) have been designated as inclusive cities/districts by the central government to proactively implement inclusive education based on funds from the Ministry of Education Culture and Research Technology (Hata et al., 2021). However, in reality, even in these designated inclusive cities/districts, the implementation of inclusive education is often perceived as voluntary rather than mandatory.

The funding system for inclusive education is also lacking. There are no regulations that mandate the allocation of funds to support activities related to inclusive education. Sharma et al. (2019) have determined that effective education for students with special needs requires equal attention to how well educators and schools are supported in providing high-quality education for all children. It also requires proper professional learning to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of what is required to monitor the execution of a successful funding model and that they are held accountable for the results obtained (Muchsin et al., 2022). Funding will be needed to improve the abilities of all associated paraprofessional personnel, educational assistants, and instructors.

Challenges in Practice

In practice, inclusive education has been implemented nationally in several schools spread throughout almost all provinces in Indonesia, but there are still numerous obstacles to overcome. Some practical challenges include identification of students with special needs, school facilities and adequate learning materials, and teacher quality. According to data from the Directorate of Primary School, many inclusive schools lack adequate infrastructure to adopt inclusive education (Hata et al., 2021). Many inclusive schools do not have facilities to support the implementation of inclusive education. Inclusive schools do not all have adequate equipment and materials to accommodate children with disabilities, and the monitoring system for them is unclear. National guidelines on reasonable accommodation for children with disabilities in inclusive schools and an evaluation system are insufficient, leaving many inclusive schools unsupervised.

Identification is the critical first step toward providing education to children with disabilities (Florian, 2019; Thomas, 2013). It is defined as a process to determine the types of special needs of students and carried out by a teacher, psychologist, or doctor using standard tools developed by the teacher or professionals (Directorate of Early Childhood Education Development, Ministry of Education and Culture, 2018). Proper identification of children with disabilities seldom occurs, especially in public inclusive schools, and continuous teacher support is required to enable teachers to put their knowledge into practice (Hata et al., 2021). The identification mechanism requires support from special schools and various related professionals, and it is not functioning in many areas due to limited collaboration between schools and professionals.

Regarding the assessment of student learning, teachers in inclusive schools face continued difficulties due to insufficient teacher support, lack of an adequate assessment system for inclusive education, and lack of a useful guide for inclusive assessments in schools (Khozin & Taufik, 2021; Kurniawan & Rofiah, 2018). Weak or absent school-level assessment mechanisms for children with disabilities impede teachers from supporting the learning of children with disabilities, and a lack of user-friendly guidelines inhibits them from implementing assessments.

The lack of training for teachers in inclusive schools both in terms of quantity and quality is a major challenge (Djone & Suryani, 2019). Quality of training also matters as many teachers in inclusive schools are not confident about teaching children with disabilities even after training (Humaira et al., 2021; Rasmitadilla et al., 2021). Principals also have unmet training needs and are often not able to facilitate collaboration between inclusive and special schools. The lack of a standardized teacher training system combined with the weak capacity of local governments has led to insufficient training opportunities for inclusive teachers.

Strategies to Accelerate Progress Towards Achieving Goal 4

Some strategic recommendations for encouraging SDG 4 implementation include providing accessibility to proper facilities and learning materials, reasonable accommodation for PWDs in education, teacher training education institute/faculty (LPTK) revitalization, and networking and collaboration among all related parties.

Accessibility to Facilities and Learning Materials

It is necessary to promote equitable access to inclusive schools at every level of education in every subdistrict/city to ensure each child can fulfill the right to education by the Minister of National Education Regulation No. 70 of 2009. It is important to ensure each inclusive school has trained teachers and staff, accessible school infrastructure, and adequate resources to provide reasonable accommodation for children with disabilities, according to Regulation No. 13 of 2020. Modifying infrastructure and learning environments makes them accessible to children with special needs, opening up opportunities, enabling independent living, and full involvement in all parts of life (Rofiah et al., 2021). Accessible information must be provided using universal design and reasonable accommodation.

Introducing assistive technologies to schools help teachers and children with disabilities with their learning support and assessments. Assistive technologies for children with learning difficulties include individual attention for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, speech recognition technology, and electronic visual scheduling systems (Hata et al., 2021). Assistive technologies should be introduced alongside clear guidance on how the technologies can be used to enhance learning opportunities for children with disabilities.

Adequate Accommodation for PWDs in Education

According to Government Regulation No. 13 of 2020, adequate accommodation is the appropriate and necessary modifications and adjustments to ensure the enjoyment or exercise of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for PWDs on an equal basis. Schools should modify and adapt appropriate teaching and learning based on the diverse needs of students with disabilities (Kanter et al., 2014; Moriña, 2017). This ensures that individuals with disabilities receive equitable educational services. The school should provide modifications and adjustments in the form of appropriate accommodation. In this instance, the central government and local governments are expected to assist schools in accommodating students with disabilities appropriately.

The development of a Disability Service Unit will also facilitate the implementation of inclusive education (Amka, 2019). The Disability Service Unit is responsible for enhancing the competence of educators and education personnel in regular schools in supporting students with disabilities, assisting students with disabilities to ensure a successful learning experience, and supplying students with disabilities with the learning media and assistive devices they need. In addition, conducting early detection and early intervention for students and prospective students with disabilities, and providing data and information would be supportive of inclusive education (Sari & Soeskandi, 2022).

Teacher Training Education Institute/Faculty (LPTK) Revitalization

There are 412 teachers training education institutes/faculty (LPTK) with 6,127 studies programs in education (Ministry of Education Culture Research Technology and Higher Education, 2022). Also, 78 institutes/faculty are in the teaching profession program (Ministry of Education Culture Research Technology and Higher Education, 2022). The total number of students in the entire country in the education program is 1,171,105. This has the potential to improve LPTK's role in inclusive education. Preservice training may be the optimal time to address educators' concerns and alter any negative attitudes about inclusive education. Also improving the quality of teaching and learning in an inclusive setting.

It is recommended that all teachers undergo mandatory preservice training on inclusive education as a way to increase the number of educated teachers in schools and improve the quality of those teachers (Ediyanto et al., 2020; Kurniawati et al., 2012; Lautenbach & Heyder, 2019). In the beginning, training of this kind may emphasize raising awareness among educators to mitigate or reduce discriminatory attitudes and ignorance about children with disabilities. It is recommended that preservice teachers have some form of practical training as part of their education before beginning their careers (Hernández-Torrano et al., 2022). This would provide teachers with the opportunity to interact with children who have special needs and build their confidence in real-life teaching scenarios (Van Mieghem et al., 2020).

Teachers and principals must engage in professional development to enhance their skills and obtain a foundational understanding of inclusion. Professional development is believed to equip principals with inclusive leadership abilities. In addition, numerous studies have demonstrated that educators and administrators benefit from professional development when dealing with inclusive schools, particularly in terms of how to educate in a way that meets the needs of all students (Deng et al., 2017; Nishimura, 2014; Suhendri & Kawai, 2021).

Networking and Collaboration

The implementation of inclusive education cannot run properly without any collaboration among all related parties. No party has a more significant impact than others in actualizing special education services (Pitri & Anwar, 2016). Inclusive education is a system that brings together all stakeholders, such as principals, teachers, foundation administrators, education staff, students, parents, communities, and education coaches, to create a conducive educational environment for all children, including those with special needs, to reach their full potential (Rofiah et al., 2020). Besides schools, the government and society must join hands to realize quality inclusive education. In addition, collaboration with nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and international organizations also needs to be carried out to support the creation of an advanced and highly competitive inclusive education environment.

According to Suhendri (2022), every related party has played its role to support the development of inclusive education in Indonesia. He mentions that with its power, the government has issued some regulations and provided some programs to support the implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia. For example, with Government Regulation No. 70 of 2019, it is clearly stated that every district must have at least one inclusive school. By collaborating with NGOs and society, some programs conduct free seminars, workshops, and training for educators and educational personnel to learn inclusive education. These examples have been supported by the Indonesian government.

More recently in Indonesia, some professionals and therapists have begun working together with teachers to gain the maximum benefits of inclusive education. Furthermore, by joining the network of collaboration among international organizations, some Indonesian experts have been sent to learn inclusive education abroad and some other experts from abroad have been invited to come to Indonesia to share their knowledge and expertise toward inclusive education (Suhendri, 2022). Finally, Indonesia may be moving in the right direction in terms of achieving high-quality inclusive education.

Conclusion

The SDGs include goals, targets, and methods to implement them, which must engage all parties connected to policy, finance, technology, capacity building, and data available to ensure all objectives are met. Leave no one behind stresses reaching the most disadvantaged, especially vulnerable groups including PWDs, and overcoming poverty and inequality. A regulatory framework and commitment to implement inclusive education are necessary to assure the rights of all children to access education.

The Indonesian education system is still at an early stage in developing and delivering robust inclusive education programs in accordance with Agenda 2030. Although facing some challenges, some progress has been made to support the implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia. By applying the appropriate strategies, it is hoped that the implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia can reach the maximum benefits for all parties, especially in actualizing SDG 4 related to education for all.

References

Amka, 2019 Amka, A. (2019). Sikap orang tua terhadap pendidikan inklusif [Parents' attitudes towards inclusive education]. Madrosatuna: Journal of Islamic Elementary School, 3(1), 15–26.

Badrudin et al., 2017 Badrudin, B. , Purwanto, Y. , & Siregar, C. N. (2017). Pesantren dalam Kebijakan Pendidikan Indonesia [Islamic Boarding Schools in Indonesian Education Policy]. Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan, 15(1), 233–272.

Bonati and Andriana, 2021 Bonati, M. L. , & Andriana, E. (2021). Amplifying children's voices within photovoice: Emerging inclusive education practices in Indonesia. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 49(4), 409–423.

Budiyanto, 2017 Budiyanto, M. P. (2017). Pengantar Pendidikan Inklusif [Introduction to inclusive education]. Prenada Media .

Deng et al., 2017 Deng, M. , Wang, S. , Guan, W. , & Wang, Y. (2017). The development and initial validation of a questionnaire of inclusive teachers' competency for meeting special educational needs in regular classrooms in China. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 21(4), 416–427.

Directorate of Early Childhood Education DevelopmentMinistry of Education and Culture, 2018 Directorate of Early Childhood Education Development, Ministry of Education and Culture . (2018). Prosedur operasi standar pendidikan anak usia dini inklusif: Identifikasi dan asesmen [Standard operating procedures for inclusive early childhood education: Identification and assessment]. https://paudpedia.kemdikbud.go.id/uploads/pdfs/Tampilan_Identifikasi_dan_Assesmen_okbgt_FA.pdf

Directorate of Special Education and Special Services, 2019 Directorate of Special Education and Special Services . (2019). National level inclusive education development master plan 2019–2024. Directorate of Special Education Development and Special Services Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education Ministry of Education and Culture.

Djone and Suryani, 2019 Djone, R. R. , & Suryani, A. (2019). Child workers and inclusive education in Indonesia. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 18(1), 48–65.

Ediyanto et al., 2020 Ediyanto , Maulida, R. , Atika, I. N. , & Kawai, N. (2020). The pre-service teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education: An empirical study in Yogyakarta city, Indonesia. Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education, 11(1), 65–73.

Fitria, 2012 Fitria, R. (2012). Proses pembelajaran dalam setting inklusi di sekolah dasar [Learning process in elementary inclusive schools]. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Khusus, 1(1), 90–101. https://doi.org/10.24036/jupe7810.64

Florian, 2019 Florian, L. (2019). On the necessary co-existence of special and inclusive education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23(7–8), 691–704.

Hartley et al., 2015 Hartley, M. T. , Bauman, S. , Nixon, C. L. , & Davis, S. (2015). Comparative study of bullying victimization among students in general and special education. Exceptional Children, 81(2), 176–193.

Hata et al., 2021 Hata, A. , Yuwono, J. , Purwana, R. , & Nomura, S. (2021). Embracing diversity and inclusion in Indonesian schools – Challenges and policy options for the future of inclusive education. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/535361634052935364/pdf/Embracing-Diversity-and-Inclusion-in-Indonesian-Schools-Challenges-and-Policy-Options-for-the-Future-of-Inclusive-Education.pdf

Hernández-Torrano et al., 2022 Hernández-Torrano, D. , Somerton, M. , & Helmer, J. (2022). Mapping research on inclusive education since Salamanca Statement: A bibliometric review of the literature over 25 years. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 26(9), 893–912.

Humaira et al., 2021 Humaira, M. A. , Rachmadtullah, R. , & Aliyyah, R. R. (2021). Perceptions of student teachers on collaborative relationships between university and inclusive elementary schools: A case study in Indonesia. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20(10), 274–290.

Kanter et al., 2014 Kanter, A. S. , Damiani, M. L. , & Ferri, B. A. (2014). The right to inclusive education under international law: Following Italy's lead. Journal of International Special Needs Education, 17(1), 21–32.

Khozin and Taufik, 2021 Khozin, W. , & Taufik, O. A. (2021). Identifikasi gaps pendidikan inklusif: Studi evaluatif di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah MA'Arif Sidomulyo, Kebumen [Identification of gaps in inclusive education: An evaluative study at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah MA'Arif Sidomulyo, Kebumen]. Edukasi: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Agama Dan Keagamaan, 19(1), 40–50.

Kurniawan and Nurhasanah, 2020 Kurniawan, W. , & Nurhasanah, D. (2020). Inclusive education in Bangka Belitung province of Indonesia: Challenges and opportunities. Psychosophia: Journal of Psychology, Religion, and Humanity, 2(1), 61–79.

Kurniawan and Rofiah, 2018 Kurniawan, M. R. , & Rofiah, N. H. (2018). Acceptability of children with special needs in the inclusive elementary school. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 12(4), 589–596.

Kurniawati et al., 2012 Kurniawati, F. , Minnaert, A. , Mangunsong, F. , & Ahmed, W. (2012). Empirical study on primary school teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education in Jakarta, Indonesia. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 69, 1430–1436.

Lautenbach and Heyder, 2019 Lautenbach, F. , & Heyder, A. (2019). Changing attitudes to inclusion in preservice teacher education: A systematic review. Educational Research, 61(2), 231–253.

Liasidou and Ioannidou, 2021 Liasidou, A. , & Ioannidou, E. (2021). Disability-related bullying and its discursive formations and enactments in the social ecology of schooling. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 42(4), 499–512.

Lintangsari and Emaliana, 2020 Lintangsari, A. P. , & Emaliana, I. (2020). Inclusive education services for the blind: Values, roles, and challenges of university EFL teachers. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 9(2), 439–447.

Main Directorate of Guidance and Legal Development of State Financial Audit, 2022 Main Directorate of Guidance and Legal Development of State Financial Audit . (2022). Database peraturan [Policy databased]. https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Home/Details/37251/uu-no-8-tahun-2016#:∼:text=UU%20No.%208%20Tahun%202016,Penyandang%20Disabilitas%20%5BJDIH%20BPK%20RI%5D

Materechera, 2018 Materechera, E. K. (2018). Inclusive education: Why it poses a dilemma to some teachers. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(7), 771–786.

Maudisha, 2022 Maudisha . (2022). Filantropi berperan penting dalam percepatan pencapaian sustainable development goals [Philanthropy plays an important role in accelerating the achievement of sustainable development goals]. https://www.ui.ac.id/lpem-feb-ui-himpunan-filantropi-indonesia-filantropi-berperan-penting-dalam-percepatan-pencapaian-sdgs/#:∼:text=pembiayaan%20pencapaian%20SDGs%20di%20Indonesia,dari%20total%20kebutuhan%20pembiayaan%20tersebut

Ministry of Education Culture Research Technology and Higher Education, 2022 Ministry of Education Culture Research Technology and Higher Education . (2022). Pangkalan data perguruan tinggi. https://pddikti.kemdikbud.go.id/data_prodi/NUY2REQ3RjUtMzU2Ny00MkQ1LTk1NEEtQzk0QkZGRTM5RTlB/20201

Ministry of Education and Culture, 2018 Ministry of Education and Culture . (2018). The problem of inclusive education in Indonesia. https://bbgpjabar.kemdikbud.go.id/perquestion-education-inclusive-di-indonesia/

Moriña, 2017 Moriña, A. (2017). Inclusive education in higher education: Challenges and opportunities. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 32(1), 3–17.

Muchsin et al., 2022 Muchsin, M. A. , Pratiwi, S. H. , Salasiyah, C. I. , Manan, A. , & Kamarullah, K. (2022). An overview of inclusive education in Eastern Aceh, Indonesia: What do the educational elements Say? Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 10(2), 297–318.

National Development Planning Agency, 2022 National Development Planning Agency . (2022). Technical guidelines for the preparation of action plans for sustainable development goals. https://sdgs.bappenas.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Buku-Pedoman-Rencana-Aksi-SDGs.pdf

Nishimura, 2014 Nishimura, T. (2014). Effective professional development of teachers: A guide to actualizing inclusive schooling. International Journal of Whole Schooling, 10(1), 19–42.

Pitri and Anwar, 2016 Pitri, T. A. , & Anwar, K. (2016). Collaboration between government and community in providing education: Special education in Riau province in 2015–2016. Doctoral dissertation. Riau University.

Rasmitadila et al., 2021 Rasmitadila, R. , Humaira, M. A. , Rachmadtullah, R. , Sesrita, A. , Laeli, S. , Muhdiyati, I. , & Firmansyah, W. (2021). Teacher perceptions of university mentoring programs planning for inclusive elementary schools: A case study in Indonesia. International Journal of Special Education (IJSE), 36(2).

Rofiah et al., 2021 Rofiah, N. H. , Kawai, N. , & Hayati, E. N. (2021). Key elements of disaster mitigation education in an inclusive school setting in the Indonesian context. Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 13(1), 1–8.

Rofiah et al., 2020 Rofiah, N. H. , Sudiraharja, D. , & Ediyanto, E. (2020). The implementation inclusive education: Implication for children with special needs in Tamansari elementary school in Yogyakarta. International Journal of Educational Management and Innovation, 1(1), 82–90.

Sachs et al., 2022 Sachs, J. , Lafortune, G. , Kroll, C. , Fuller, G. , & Woelm, F. (2022). From crisis to sustainable development: The SDGs as roadmap to 2030 and beyond sustainable development report 2022. https://s3.amazonaws.com/sustainabledevelopment.report/2022/2022-sustainable-development-report.pdf

Safitri et al., 2022 Safitri, A. O. , Yunianti, V. D. , & Rostika, D. (2022). Upaya peningkatan pendidikan berkualitas di Indonesia: Analisis pencapaian sustainable development goals (SDGs) [Efforts to improve quality education in Indonesia: Analysis of achieving sustainable development goals]. Jurnal Basicedu, 6(4), 7096–7106.

Sari and Soeskandi, 2022 Sari, A. P. , & Soeskandi, H. (2022). Hak disabilitas dalam aksesibilitas ruang publik di kota Surabaya [Rights of persons with disabilities in accessibility of public spaces in the city of Surabaya]. Court Review: Jurnal Penelitian Hukum, 2(03), 35–46.

Schlessinger, 2018 Schlessinger, S. L. (2018). Reclaiming teacher intellectualism through and for inclusive education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(3), 268–284.

Sentenac et al., 2011 Sentenac, M. , Gavin, A. , Arnaud, C. , Molcho, M. , Godeau, E. , & Gabhainn, S. N. (2011). Victims of bullying among students with a disability or chronic illness and their peers: A cross-national study between Ireland and France. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48(5), 461–466.

Sharma et al., 2019 Sharma, U. , Furlonger, B. , & Forlin, C. (2019). The impact of funding models on the education of students with autism spectrum disorder. Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education, 43(1), 1–11.

Suharjo et al., 2020 Suharjo, S. , Hanani, S. , & Jasmienti, J. (2020). Implementation of Islamic religious education learning for children with special needs at Al-Azhar elementary school Kota Bukittinggi. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 17(2), 217–228.

Suhendri, 2022 Suhendri . (2022). Inclusive education in Indonesia: Collaboration among stakeholders. In S. R. Semon , D. Lane , P. Jones , & C. Forlin (Eds.), Instructional collaboration in international inclusive education contexts (17th ed., pp. 151–166). Emerald Publishing Limited.

Suhendri. and Kawai, 2021 Suhendri , & Kawai, N. (2021). Leadership in kindergartens, Indonesia: The need for professional learning in inclusive education. International Journal of Whole Schooling, 17(1), 98–130.

Tarnoto, 2016 Tarnoto, N. (2016). Permasalahan-permasalahan yang dihadapi sekolah penyelenggara pendidikan inklusi pada tingkat sekolah dasar [Problems faced by schools providing inclusive education at the elementary school level]. Humanitas Indonesian Psychological Journal, 13(1), 50–61.

Thomas, 2013 Thomas, G. (2013). A review of thinking and research about inclusive education policy, with suggestions for a new kind of inclusive thinking. British Educational Research Journal, 39(3), 473–490.

UNESCO., 2021 UNESCO. (2021). Sub-education policy review report: Inclusive education. https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/inclusive_education_final_-_january_2021.pdf

United Nations, 2022 United Nations . (2022). Goals 4 ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal4

Van Mieghem et al., 2020 Van Mieghem, A. , Verschueren, K. , Petry, K. , & Struyf, E. (2020). An analysis of research on inclusive education: A systematic search and meta-review. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(6), 675–689.

Warman, 2021 Warman, W. (2021). Establishing the governmental policy to promote engagement within the inclusive education system in Indonesia. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 12(1), 124–148.

Wulandari, 2014 Wulandari, F. (2014). Sejarah pendidikan inklusif di dunia dan di Indonesia [The history of inclusive education in the world and in Indonesia]. Academia. https://www.academia.edu/8677313/Pendidikan_Inklusif\

Book Chapters

Prelims

A Midpoint Review of the Progress Towards Agenda 2030: Inclusion for all

Progress Towards Equal Access to Education for Vulnerable Children in England

Celebrating Success, Not Resting on Laurels: Inclusion in Education in Ireland

Shared Principles for Working Towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 in European Countries

Inclusive Education in Ghana: The Past, Present, and Future

Critical Analysis of the Current Status of Inclusive Education in South Africa

Agenda 2030 Progress on Inclusive Education in Lesotho

Inclusive Education in Lebanon: Condition, Challenges, and Recommendations

Status of Inclusive Education in Azerbaijan

The Impact of the Pandemic and Coup in Myanmar on Inclusive Education

Overcoming Implementation Conundrum of the Salamanca Statement With Alternative Education

Progress of Inclusive Education Towards Agenda 2030 in Cambodia