Inclusive Education for Sustainable Development in Public Universities in Rivers State

Abstract

This paper examines Inclusive Education for Sustainable Development in Public Universities in Rivers State. Four objective and four research questions and four hypotheses were posed to guide the study. The population for the study consists of 313 lecturers and final year students in Department of Educational Management, Rivers State University. The sample size consists of the entire population of 313 lecturers and final year students. Census sampling techniques was adopted. Data for the study were collected by means of questionnaire titled Inclusive Education for Sustainable Development questionnaire (IESDQ)’. The instrument adopted a four-point rating scale of High Extent to Very low Extent. Test-re-test method was used for the reliability test which yielded reliability co-efficient of 0.92. 313 Copies of questionnaire were distributed, and Three hundred and thirteen (313) were retrieved for analysis. Mean and Standard Deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t-test was used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that Accessibility is fundamental for creating an inclusive educational environment. Based on the findings, conclusion was drawn that tertiary institutions can create a more inclusive educational environment that supports sustainable development and ensures that all students have the opportunity to thrive. It was recommends made amongst others that Ministry of Education should constantly organise training and retraining of lecturers on inclusive education pedagogical skills and handling of diversified learners in the same classroom. Design curricula with flexible learning pathways and adaptive assessments to accommodate different learning styles and abilities, promoting equitable access to educational resources.