Written by Diana Alexandra Arizaga Castro, Julio Cesar Zapata Tomasto and Denisse Brenda Colachagua Aquino.
Presentation of the issue.
In 2020, a State of Emergency was declared in Peru because of the spread of COVID-19 [1]. This situation led our country to adopt a general confinement policy, which accelerated a paradigm shift in how we interact through the virtualisation of many aspects of life.
Education was no exception, and this shift was reflected in the “Aprendo en Casa” programme launched in April 2020. “Aprendo en Casa” is a public distance-education strategy promoted by the Ministry of Education that broadcasts learning sessions via television, the internet and radio for students in Regular Basic Education, Special Basic Education and Alternative Basic Education, with the aim of enabling them to continue their studies during the State of Emergency (MINEDU, n.d.).
Although this strategy demonstrated the State’s interest in providing solutions during confinement, the limitations of its initial design soon became apparent. In one sample of 50 families with children with disabilities, 82.5% identified barriers in public or private non-presential educational services (Ombudsman’s Office, 2020).
Explanation of the issue.
First, one of the barriers with the greatest impact in this context has been access to digital tools. According to Ministry of Education reports (2020), 58% of families who access the “Aprendo en Casa” programme do so through the internet. However, an INEI report (2020) indicated that only 40.1% of families had internet access. Because persons with disabilities are among the populations most affected educationally (Ombudsman’s Office, 2020), the State must implement measures aimed at reducing digital divides that perpetuate and increase existing inequalities.
Another accessibility barrier was that the programme’s first broadcasts did not include a sign-language interpreter, restricting the right to education of people with hearing disabilities. Although an interpreter was later added, not everyone in the Deaf community communicates through sign language, and the same applies to hard-of-hearing people; captions are therefore also necessary in the “Aprendo en Casa” programme.
Second, there is a problem of availability, or a lack of the resources required by persons with disabilities. This includes insufficient teaching staff trained in inclusive educational strategies; a lack of educational materials that meet accessibility criteria, for example for students with visual disabilities (images or PowerPoint presentations without audio and/or descriptions); and the absence of appropriate examination formats (Hernandez & Zurita, 2020). These examples show how barriers affect different disabilities in different ways and why each person’s specific needs must be considered.
Third, according to the Ombudsman’s Office (2020), “Aprendo en Casa” did not adequately consider adaptability. In other words, its implementation did not give teachers sufficient support to overcome barriers arising from students’ particular circumstances. For example, the website did not provide teachers with guidance for making specific adaptations to disability-related needs, offering only generic indications. The Ministry of Education also did not clearly identify which barriers linked to these needs had to be, or had already been, identified in existing materials so that appropriate modifications could be made. Although this is a problem across disabilities, the Ombudsman’s Office particularly emphasised Deaf students, who often show some of the lowest learning-achievement levels in national student assessments.[2].
Final reflection.
In the context of the health emergency, strategies for delivering education to students create new challenges in light of gaps in our education system. As a public educational initiative, “Aprendo en Casa” encountered limitations in accessibility, availability, acceptability and adaptability, all of which must be addressed in order to guarantee inclusive education. Proposals therefore need to include actions in their design that respond to both general and specific disability-related needs and remove barriers. The State can also learn from its own shortcomings, and improvements should be developed together with persons with disabilities themselves.
References:
[1] Supreme Decree No. 044-2020-PCM issued on 15 March 2020.
[2] Given the pandemic context, it is difficult to determine learning outcomes for either the general student population or students with disabilities. Nevertheless, adaptability is a necessary condition that enables teachers to make learning methods relevant to each teaching and learning process.
Bibliography:
Defensoría del Pueblo. (2020). El derecho a la educación inclusiva en el contexto de la emergencia sanitaria por el covid-19: Alcances y limitaciones en el servicio educativo no presencial para estudiantes con discapacidad y con otras necesidades educativas especiales en la Educación Básica. Defensoría del Pueblo.
Hernandez, R., & Zurita, V. (2020). Accesibilidad y virtualidad: Desafíos para acompañar Las trayectorias de estudiantes Con discapacidad visual Unc. Anuario de Investigaciones de la Facultad de Psicología, 5(2), 220-240.
https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/aifp/article/view/31120/31782
INEI. (2020) Informe técnico. “Estadísticas de las tecnologías de información y comunicación en los hogares N°2 Junio 2020”.
https://www.inei.gob.pe/media/MenuRecursivo/boletines/boletin_tics.pdf
Ministerio de Educación. (s.f.). Aprendo en casa. Plataforma digital única del Estado Peruano.
https://www.gob.pe/institucion/minedu/campa%C3%B1as/914-aprendo-en-casa
