Enhancing Stakeholder Collaboration for Educational Inclusion of Children in Street Situations in Kampala District, Uganda

Abstract

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number four target five seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination in education for marginalized groups and vulnerable groups like street children. However, their inclusion in mainstream education has not been explored. Literature acknowledges collaboration among stakeholders as vital for reflection of practices and knowledge exchange and also used as a strategy to foster creativity and innovation necessary for effective implementation of inclusive education. This study explored perceptions of selected stakeholders towards collaboration as a strategy for enabling inclusion of children in street situations in mainstream education and how such collaboration can be enhanced. A qualitative approach was adopted selecting Kampala as a case. Five officials from government and Non- governmental organizations were selected purposively to participate in this study. The data was generated using semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Respondents perceived collaboration as key to effectively include children in street situations in education. However, there were less meaningful relationships amongst stakeholders and majority of them were not performing their roles regarding the education of a child. The participants’ experiences of collaborative practices revealed barriers that hindered their partnership regarding the educational inclusion of children in street situations. The study thus concluded that collaboration can be enhanced through a multi-sectorial approach that brings all actors on board in planning and implementation of education inclusion of children in street situations. The study, therefore, recommended that the government should strengthen collaborative practices amongst stakeholders through policy formulation, sensitization and allocation of funds to implement a well-designed educational program based on the learning needs of children in street situations. These findings are of great importance to the Ministry of Education, Head teachers, teachers, Non-Governmental Organizations and other government bodies responsible for the welfare of children in street situations in planning and policy formulation, guidance for including children in street situations in mainstream education so that they gain from the efforts of inclusive and equitable quality education for all.