Inclusive education
Inclusive education was identified as a thematic priority in 2021. It is set out in our International Strategy.
We announced that inclusive education, funded via the International Development Fund, would be delivered through multi-year commitments in Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia (Central Province) and Pakistan.
We are delivering these commitments through five projects in our inclusive education portfolio:
1. Realising Inclusive and Safer Education (RISE)
This programme, which is being delivered by Link Education International between July 2024 and March 2029, aims to remove barriers to quality education for out-of-school children with disabilities and additional support needs. The programme is worth up to £1.5m a year, and is implemented through partnerships with Link Community Development Malawi, School to School International in Zambia and Chance for Childhood in Rwanda. For more information on this project, please visit Link Education International’s project page .
2. Scholarships for Women and Girls in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia
This programme, which is being delivered by Oxfam between July 2024 and March 2029, aims to support girls and women to complete secondary education and to support their transition to tertiary education and TVET. The programme is worth up to £1m a year, and is implemented through partnerships with the Young Women’s Christian Association in Zambia and Rwanda, and Concerned Youth Organisation in Malawi.
3. World Bank Inclusive Education Policy Academies
The Scottish Government is participating for the first time in a World Bank project designed, over three years from March 2024, to support policy-makers from our partner countries in Africa to strengthen the delivery of inclusive education policy in their countries. More about the World Bank Inclusive Education Policy Academies.
4. Scotland Pakistan Scholarships for Women and Girls
Delivered by the British Council since 2013, this programme provides financial support to young women and girls in Pakistan living in challenging circumstances so they can attend and complete their education at secondary and tertiary level. More about the Scotland Pakistan Scholarships project
5. Online MBA Scholarships in Zambia (one year only)
In 2024/25 we are supporting, through £150,000 of Scottish government funding, a small number of scholars in Zambia to pursue online MBAs through Heriot-Watt University’s online campus. More about the MBA Scholarships in Zambia project
We will also continue supporting the Development Education Centres, which aim to inspire communities and young people to realise their roles as good global citizens. This initiative is supported with £300,000 of Scottish Government funding (comprising £230,000 from education portfolio budgets and £70,000 from international development). This project is led by the Curriculum Development Team, within the Directorate for Education Reform
Background
The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) states that education is a basic right. A range of declarations and conventions highlight the importance of education for disabled people: the Salamanca Statement on education and special needs in 1994, as well as article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) adopted in 2006.
The International Development Fund Inclusive Education programme report showed that the governments of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia have made significant progress on inclusive education, but that securing equitable access to education for disabled learners and for women and girls remain significant challenges.
Our inclusive education portfolio builds on previous projects carried out between 2018 and 2022 in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia