Vision, Mission and Objectives of the Program
Vision
In line with the vision of the Debre Markos University, the Department of Special Needs and
Inclusive Education has the vision to be the center of excellence in producing competent and
creative professionals in Special Needs and Inclusive Education, providing quality community
services and conducting problem solving research by 2025.
Mission
The Mission of Special Needs and inclusive Education department is to produce competent
graduates in field of Special Needs and inclusive Education. These professionals are expected to
carry out: inclusive education; rehabilitation counseling and community based rehabilitation
activities, problem-solving researches and disseminating knowledge and research out puts, and
providing demand-driven and transformative community services activities with inclusiveness
orientation.
Objective of the Program
The general objective of the under graduate program of Special Needs and Inclusive Education
include:
• To respond to and support the implementation of GTP and ESDP (2010) that has
given high emphasis for the implementation of special needs education.
• To implement and respond to UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities that was ratified by the Government of Ethiopia in 2010.
• To meet the target of the Ministry of Education which was in its guideline (2001/02)
that specify the need for professionals in the field of special needs education which
will be assigned in all schools with at least one lead and one assistant special needs
education teacher in each schools for general education (1-10).
• To create and facilitate preconditions that will help to put legislations, policies and
directives into action in relation to Special Needs Education.
• To provide evidence based support to all school children, improve and raise quality of
learning.
• To produce teachers and educators capable of meeting individual needs in inclusive
settings, in schools as well as in the community.
• To realize research based inclusive education.
• To produce professionals who create awareness about special needs/individual
differences and develop skills of identifying these needs to provide support and
prevent possible exclusion of learners at risk.
• To produce professionals who work with school and local community, empower and
encourage regular school teachers to use alternative and supportive teaching
approaches and improve quality of learning.
• To provide professionals in education who can identify, and asses the needs,
problems and potentials of different children with special needs and provide
psychosocial and psycho educational interventions
• To produce resource persons to provide support to the mainstream teachers having
learners with special needs in their classes.
• To facilitate the inclusion of children and youth with special needs into the
mainstream schools with the appropriate attitude, skills and knowledge.
• To generate teachers who can construct and administer various intervention based
assessment tools so as to confirm the existence of disability and its diverse nature
• To develop teachers who can assess the teaching, training, therapeutic and vocational
needs of children and youth with special needs
-To provide teachers who can manage the problem behavior of children and youth
with special needs
• To develop teachers who can render counseling services to the parents, caregivers
teachers, etc. so as to prevent the exclusion of the children and youth with special
needs
• To generate teachers who can undertake research works in the areas of children with
special needs in particular and general education.
Programmes
Undergraduate programs
• Regular programs in the under graduate in BA in Special Needs and Inclusive Education
launching in 2009 EC.
• Summer program in the under graduate in BA in Special Needs and Inclusive Education
launching in 2010 EC.
Graduate Profile
Upon completion of the four years program, the students will be able to demonstrate the
following competencies in relation to knowledge, skills and attitude
Knowledge
The candidates are required to be equipped with the necessary knowledge about:
– International and national legal and policy instruments on the issues of special needs and
inclusive education
– Methods related with inclusive education (IE) implementation at school and community
levels
– educational and environmental accessibility strategies for all children in and out of school
– Planning managing, implementing and supervision of special needs /inclusive
education programs at preschool, school, Woredas, Zonal, Regional, TEVET, higher
institutions, other governmental and nongovernment organizations.
– networking among stakeholders and mobilizing resources for SNIE
– Guiding and assisting persons with special needs in vocational choice and career
development
- Developing, adapting and using identifications and assessment tools
Assisting teachers in identification and assessment of children’s development and
learning needs
– Developing/adapting and guide intervention packages at home and schools
Guiding, supporting and counseling, people with special needs at school/home level
– Working as resource and itinerant teacher at resource center, cluster and satellite school.
– Creating physical and psychosocial environment in from school to home, school
compound, classrooms, playground and the like
- Various forms of rehabilitation that help the holistic development of children with special
needs
– Conducting community-based rehabilitation for children with disability
– Problem solving research methods in special needs /inclusive education
Skills
The graduates are expected to:
- Design, organize and develop, adapting and using identifications and assessment tools
– Conduct problem solving research and intervention in special needs and inclusive
education
– Build capacity of teachers, administrators, students, community and parents, on
SNIE through research and intervention
– Design, implement, assess and evaluate work for the improvement of quality education
– Serve as a graduate assistant and researcher at higher educational institutions
– Provide training on the basic skills such as Braille, sign language, orientation and
mobility, and adaptive behavioral skills
– Support students and regular school teachers in basic skills such as Braille, sign language
orientation and mobility, and adaptive behavioral skills
– Establish and equip resource centers for SNE/IE at all educational level
– Create awareness and promote the importance of adaptive technology in special needs
and inclusive education
- Adapt, train and apply different technologies and assistive devices in teaching students
with special needs
– Design, organize and run quality material and human resources
- Design, organize and evaluate student-centered teaching and learning process with
appropriate and reasonable accommodation and support
– Design, organize and evaluate networking strategies to work with stakeholders
and mobilize resources for SNIE
–Assess, plan implement and evaluate methods that help teachers in identification and
assessment of children’s development and learning needs
– Assess, plan, implement and evaluate methods that help teachers in Guiding, supporting
and counseling, people with special needs at school/home level
-Asses and plan manage, implement and supervise special needs /inclusive education
programs at preschool, school, Woredas, Zonal, Regional, TEVET, higher institutions,
other governmental and nongovernment organizations
Attitudes
The graduates are expected to develop attitudes in order to
• Advocate disability rights on the basis of international and national legal and policy
documents.
• Involve in professional consultancy and policy advisory services in the area of
• special needs education and inclusion as well as on the rights of persons with disability;
• Value special needs and inclusive education knowledge and skills to educate and train
special needs and inclusive education professionals to deal with persons with special needs
education at various settings.
• Respect and fairness to all – being polite and kind to everyone and everything and treating
everyone equally
