The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the World Bank through Inclusive Education Initiative (IEI) is organizing Special Needs and Inclusive Education Policy Dialogues with the theme “Taking Stock of the Implementation of Special Needs and Inclusive Education Policy”. The Policy dialogues are being conducted in all provinces and Kigali City from May to June 2022. Policy Dialogues serve as a forum to discuss the implementation status of the Special Needs and Inclusive Education and ensure participants understand their roles in the successful implementation of the policy. These dialogues bring together different education stakeholders from local government, Ministry of Education and its affiliated agencies, schools, Non-Government Organizations, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, and parents.

In 2019, the Special Needs and Inclusive Education policy and its implementation plan has been approved by the cabinet. This marks a considerable progress as the policy highlights what is going to be done to improve the access to and quality education of learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The Special Needs and Inclusive Education Policy has five goals and 21 outcomes. The first goal intends to improve access, retention and completion of schooling for students with disabilities and Special Educational Needs. The second goal is about the development of support services including the establishment of procedures and tools for special needs educational assessment. The third goal intends to build capacity of teachers and other specialized personnel in Special Needs and Inclusive Education (SNIE). The intended fourth goal of the policy is about the promotion of special needs and inclusive education quality services through the provision of adequate teaching and learning resources. Promotion of inclusive and child friendly approaches in schools, in curriculum and training programs is the fifth goal of the SNIE policy.

After four years of implementation, there is a need to pause and reflect on the implementation progress of the SNIE policy. Are we making progress in the achievement of the policy goals? Have we met the policy objectives? What can we do to ensure the policy is successfully implemented? What is the role of everyone in the implementation of the SNIE policy? The policy dialogues series will be a platform to discuss the above questions and accelerate progress towards the implementation of the policy.

It is expected that by the end of the policy dialogue series, participants will increase their understanding of the Special Needs and Inclusive Education Policy implementation progress, there will be an improved engagement of stakeholders towards the implementation of SNIE Policy. Concrete actions and commitments to advance the implementation of SNIE policy will be taken by different stakeholdres.