Inclusive education should not be seen as a specially constructed school to accommodate children with disabilities, but should be friendly in all aspects to all school-going children.
These are some of the ideas that came up during a Talk of the Nation discussion on disability inclusion on Monday evening.
Namibia has ratified different UN Conventions, such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Disability in many instances is seen as an inability; therefore, the unconscious bias against people who are differently abled should be consigned to the dustbin of history.
The concept of inclusive education should ensure that the learning system caters to everyone since every learner has a special and unique need, one of the panellists and a disability activist, Yetnebersch Nigussie, said.
"For UNICEF, accessibility is a precondition for all the rights that people with disabilities have, like education, health, social protection, It's a precondition, but the biggest challenge with accessibility is mindset. Because it was us who built the two floors. So those rumps and stairs are visible because we see them. But the unconscious bias we have about any person with a disability, including children, is quite hidden, which is why UNICEF engages more in community social and behavioural change that this school should allow anybody."
Jessica Gawaxab, the head of legal and company secretary at the National Council of Disability in Namibia, said barriers that impede accessibility should be removed, saying that inclusive education should be applied to the planning faces, particularly the infrastructure.
"Wave taken note that education is not so inclusive because of accessibility; inclusive education was mostly focused on learning disabilities and lacked the physical aspect of disability, as well as cultural activities within the school."
Dr. Omu Kakujaha, who was also part of the panel, emphasised the need for an adequate and equitable budget.
He said the budget will remain inadquate and unequal because the government is the main sponsor for most disability programmes, with the private sector and international agencies contributing very little.
Nigussie said that Namibia is setting the trend and has been careful with its budget for people with disabilities.
"Its important that we ensure that each ministry and each sector has a line for ensuring they have budget for removing barriers. Namibia is on the right track, but that doesn't mean that its funding is right. Sometimes we know that donors and stakeholders are expected to finance that. To me, whatever you put in, if it comes from the public, is 10 times much bigger."