STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY IN BOTSWANA: HOW CAN ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK SUPPORT BETTER EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES?

Abstract

Inclusive schools have become the hopeful contexts to support the empowerment of students
with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) through measures more likely to guarantee
meaningful school outcomes. Following in the footsteps of the UK SEN Policy Research
Forum’s recent publication about the accountability framework for education (AFE), this paper
examines education policy, provisions, and outcomes for students with IDD in Botswana and
proposes a different approach for improvement. The paper charts the history of special
education provision, details policy and implementation issues that culminate in limited
educational outcomes, including transition to further education/employment. The question of
whether meaningful outcomes can be achieved for this cohort with current school arrangements
and practices is deliberated. The accountability framework is used as a lens to argue for the
articulation of policies and measures that would lead to improved school practices and
outcomes. In adopting the accountability framework, an argument is made for caution about
avoiding the market-driven dimension of accountability due to the risk of accentuating unequal
outcomes and social injustice. The paper recommends the deployment of the framework in
research as a first step to identify strengths and weaknesses with IDD education and enable the
set-up of policy and implementation mechanisms for better outcomes.