MODFL/Mainstream/Other Marginalised Groups

In many societies, apart from the increasing problem of youth unemployment, there are certain groups that are generally marginalised in terms of access to education and training. People with disabilities, girls and women, orphans, and children from poor socio-economic backgrounds are some of the groups that are not easily reached by education systems in some countries, especially in the developing world. This trend is due to a variety of reasons, most of which have to do with how formal education is structured in these countries.

Activity 3

This activity should take you about 15 – 20 minutes to complete.

1. Read Case study 2 below to understand challenges faced by people with special needs (disabilities) when it comes to access to formal education.
2. What policies are there in your country to mainstream young people with disabilities in education, training and employment? In your view, how effective are the policies? What suggestions can you make to improve the mainstreaming of disabled people in the economy in your country?
3. Share your ideas with peers in the chat forum.

Case Study 2: Youth with Disabilities and Access to Opportunities

Young people with disabilities form a significant proportion of the youth population. Poverty and malnutrition, conflict and violence, and other factors increase rates of youth disability in low- and middle-income countries. Their share may in fact increase in the future because of medical advancements that increase survival rates after injury, disease, and poor health conditions broadly.

Disabled youth are disproportionately barred from productive job opportunities. Although many also have suffered from lower access to education and skills development which affect their labor market outcomes, discrimination and negative attitudes are among the most important obstacles. As they are more likely to work in the informal sector in poorer countries, they are less easy to reach with reforms in regulatory frameworks or affirmative action, even where such policies should exist. They are, quite obviously, a very diverse group with very different challenges and as such difficult to serve with a one-size-fits-all-approach.

The scant evidence available shows that traditional vocational training programmes (specialised skills, taught separately) have not been particularly successful in putting disabled people in jobs. Disabled people have generally lower access to finance, including micro-finance, although there is some anecdotal evidence of successful engagement. New approaches are being piloted to help youth with disabilities, by addressing education gaps early on (Moldova), affecting public opinion and finding champion employers that demonstrate the productive contributions of disabled employed youth (Kenya), and using ICT to help youth access skills and training for employment (Bangladesh). Approaches to make services work for disabled youth (for example ensure that they have access to mainstream intermediation services and skills training), and broadly advocacy activities (with public sector, with employers) appear to show promise.

Source:WHO (2011), Goldin et al. (2015)⁹.

Feedback and comment on Activity 3

In your answer to Activity 3 above, on policies in place to mainstream young people with disabilities in education, training and employment, we hope you included affirmative policies in favour of people with disabilities; funding opportunities; provision of appropriate facilities in institutions, including schools and workplaces; and educating the public on what people with disabilities are capable of doing.