Inclusive Education (Hearing Impairment)

There are some changes about education system in Indonesia. Start from negligent which special needs children was rejected. Next is segregation which children divided into two parts, special school for special needs children vs. regular school for typical or regular children. After segregation, there was integration which special needs and regular children work together with special education. And the last is Inclusion which all children included special needs children get regular education with appropriate approach. In other words, there was paradigm changing about education in Indonesia from dividing children based on evidential characteristics to perception which state that all children included special needs children has right to get education. So, inclusive education provided education for all children who are children with or without special needs.

I absolutely agree with this new education system. Learning is one of human right for all included them with special need. Nowadays, there are many schools which accept special needs children to study together with typical or regular children. However, based on my observation in Santirama School, not all types of special need children can be taught together with typical or regular children. One of special needs children who cannot be taught together with typical or regular children was tuna rungu children. They needed special instruction in learning that very different compared to typical or regular students. That why it is needed special school with consist of all tuna rungu children like Santirama School.

Santirama School was a good school for tuna rungu children. The school arranged its curriculum independently appropriate to students’ needs and characteristics. They (the school) used thematic learning method with conversation approach. The teachers always started the class by doing conversation. The topic of its conversation would relate to the subject material on that day. It was very nice method for tuna rungu student who usually has big curiosity with many questions. It also enhance them to practice for speak up (not always signs to communicate each other). It will help them to communicate with people outside who do not understand their sign. There is also no punishment for students. The teacher just gave negative reinforcements for them who did a mistake. And it was worthy to make them became responsible person.

Based on my interview to the teacher, In this kind of special school the teachers have multiple roles. Different with the other teacher in regular school, besides teaching material lesson they also are asked to teach them to speak well. The teacher also must be creative to design a learning method with conversation approach appropriate to the content of lesson. The teacher also must be sensitive with students’ emotion. Tuna rungu children usually have more sensitive feeling. It is important for the teacher to act as second parents for them and do personal approach to them. Give motivation to them to be confidents with their condition. According to me, what Santirama and the teachers did was amazing to support students’ academic. Not only supported students’ academic, Santirama School also supported students’ skill likes automotive, computer, printing, graphic design, cooking, etc. It helped the students to be more confident by skill that they have.

There are problems that I saw in Santirama School. It related to government regulation. The first is about teacher human resource. The school has lack of teachers who are capable to teach tuna rungu children. The government mutated 16 teachers in Santirama School to the regular public school. They are mutated after being chosen as PNS teacher. I think this government regulation brought problem for school. According to me, the government must be more wisdom to take the decision. They did not need to mutate those teachers if there were not lack of teacher in regular public school.  Moreover, it was difficult for Santirama School to get new teachers who are capable to handle tuna rungu students. There are limited teacher which graduate from Special Education (PGSLB). To solve the problem, the government should do more socialization about PGSLB to the public because to track more devotee to get involve in special education.

Another problem that happened in Santirama and most special school education was National Examination. Actually the government differentiate National Examination for special school like Santirama. Unfortunately, it was still felt too hard for students with special needs like tuna rungu children. Because of their condition, they were hard to get the meaning of problem which often used abstract words. There is big question in mind, should the content of National Examination made by government while the curriculum independently made by school. It caused inexpediency between lesson materials in curriculum to the content of National Examination. I think it will be worthy if each kind of school (it means the association of all tuna rungu school) made the content of National Examination together (but still monitored by government) to standardize the success of tuna rungu students in each school.

Hopefully there will be more government support for inclusive education. It is important to facilitate them with special needs to develop as well as typical or regular children. And the first step to do for supporting inclusive education is do socialization about special education and its human resource. Human resource who will be able to designed better curriculum to balance global development like technology and etc. Do not let the global development make them left behind. We can give them more skill that will be useful according to global development.