Effectiveness of Special Needs Educational Policies in Enhancing Inclusivity in Kenya’s Primary Schools

Abstract

The study explored the effectiveness of special needs educational policies in enhancing inclusivity in Kenya's primary schools. It focused on assessing the alignment between policy objectives and on-the-ground realities, examining the successes and challenges of fostering an inclusive education system. A mixed-methods research approach was used, including structured questionnaires and key informant interviews across four schools in Nairobi County. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes and patterns from the qualitative data, providing comprehensive insights into policy implementation dynamics from multiple stakeholder perspectives. A census sampling was employed for teachers, while purposive sampling was used for key informants. The findings revealed that while 97.9% of respondents were aware of special needs education policies, only 2.1% rated their understanding as very good. Implementation challenges included inadequate resources, lack of trained teachers and insufficient infrastructure. Despite these barriers, 70.8% of respondents believed policies had improved inclusivity, and 62.5% reported positive impacts on academic performance of students with special needs. The study achieved an excellent response rate of 92.3% for questionnaires and 75% for key informant interviews. The need for enhanced teacher training programs, increased government funding allocation, improved stakeholder collaboration, and policy reforms to ensure that special needs education policies were effectively realized were realized. The study recommends including mandatory SNE modules in teacher training, dedicated budget allocations for inclusive education, the establishment of collaborative platforms among stakeholders, and curriculum adaptations to accommodate diverse learning needs.