Professor of Inclusive Education and Disabilities Studies, Stacey Blackman, has presented a pathway to education reform in the region to level the playing field for all students and encourage equity and inclusion.
To achieve this, she said schools should first understand the principles of equity and inclusion, which will then inform their vision and direction. In so doing, they will ensure assessments honour the linguistic diversity of students and provide access to those with print, visual and hearing disabilities.
The proposed reforms were outlined in Blackman’s inaugural professorial lecture on the topic, Democratisation and Equity? Transforming Caribbean School Ecologies through Education Inclusion. The educator is a Cambridge Commonwealth and Chevening Scholar and has published extensively on inclusive education, special education, pupil perspective and disability studies. She was elevated to the rank of professor in October 2023, and delivered the lecture on March 20, 2025, to celebrate the academic milestone.
In her presentation, Professor Blackman argued that although positive developments have been made in pedagogy and student leadership practices, these do not go far enough.
She contended that the Common Entrance Examination and school curricula were among the barriers to achievement, participation, and accessibility. She suggested these and other persistent challenges necessitate a holistic evidence-based approach that involves school adminstrators, teachers and students.
“Educational inclusion is a moral imperative that demands a radical rethinking of school organisation and function. It begins by examining the cultures, policies, and practices at all levels that are inimical to equity and democracy in favour of those that support teacher and student voice, diversity and success.”
However, she made clear that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work as inclusive schools will look different across contexts, with ‘a high degree of variability in how inclusion is practised’.
Professor Blackman urged administrators to challenge discriminatory practices while simultaneously working to establish conditions that build consensus and commitment towards equity and inclusion. “This means promoting collaboration among schools, leveraging resources, ideas, and expertise and assisting staff in exercising their collective responsibility for student success.”
She said this can be enhanced by planning across ministries to enhance opportunities for inclusion for students from vulnerable groups, including those with disabilities. “School-to-school collaborations are also recommended to strengthen the capacity of schools to respond to diversity. A comparison of practice between teachers from/at various schools accrue benefits such as allowing teachers to view student diversity in a different/more positive way.”
“The lack of diffusion and saturation of these practices, along with inadequate access to financial and human resources, will continue to challenge the capacity of schools to transform into UNESCO’s idealised vision of institutions that provide Education for All”.
Education for All is among the guidelines and frameworks, which the professor said were designed to foster greater inclusion globally. Also mentioned were the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action, the World Declaration on Education for All and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The former Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the Cave Hill campus suggested that teachers design lessons that cater to all students, and school plants be renovated to address issues such as lack of ramps, rails, inaccessible bathrooms and uneven pavements.
More specifically, she said these educators should create “a pleasant classroom climate, designing cooperative learning activities, supporting social interactions and mediating conflict between students”.
She said the wider community and the administration have integral roles to play in these reforms.
“The idea and practice of democratising education and achieving equity cannot be realised without legislative, political, financial and social support,” she said.
“Several stakeholders must be consulted if inclusive education is to be achieved. These include parents/guardians or caregivers; teacher trainers and researchers; national, local and school-level administrators, managers; policy makers and services providers; civic groups in the community; and members of minority groups that might be at risk for exclusion.”