INVESTIGATING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICY IN PAKISTANI SCHOOLS: FROM POLICY TO PRACTICE

Abstract

Pakistan has, over the past two decades, formally committed itself to inclusive education through constitutional guarantees, the National Education Policy (2017), and provincial frameworks such as the Punjab Special Education Policy (2020), yet the translation of these commitments into everyday classroom practice remains uneven. This study investigated the implementation of inclusive education policy in Pakistani schools, with a specific focus on public sector schools in the province of Punjab, in order to determine the gap between policy intent and classroom-level practice. The study employed a quantitative, descriptive survey design. A structured questionnaire measuring policy awareness, implementation practices, and barriers to implementation was administered to 150 teachers and head teachers selected through multistage random sampling from five districts of Punjab. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, specifically weighted means and standard deviations with verbal interpretation. Findings revealed that while awareness of inclusive education policy among respondents was high, actual classroom-level implementation practices were rated at only a moderate level, and structural and resource-related barriers such as overcrowded classrooms, insufficient teacher training, and inadequate assistive infrastructure were rated as considerably high. These results indicate a persistent policy-practice gap in the implementation of inclusive education in Punjab. The study concludes with recommendations for targeted teacher training, resource allocation, and stronger monitoring mechanisms to bridge this gap, along with directions for future research.