Identification of Challenges Faced by Primary School Teachers in Implementing Inclusive Education in District Haripur

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine primary school teachers’ perceptions, challenges faced during implementation, and institutional support for inclusive education in District Haripur, Pakistan. The study focused on teachers’ insights toward inclusion, differences in challenges experienced by male and female teachers, institutional, social, and personal barriers, and the adequacy of training and resources. A positivist paradigm and descriptive cross-sectional survey design were employed. The population consisted of 715 public-sector primary school teachers, from which 200 teachers (100 males and 100 females) were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on established measures and rated on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests were applied using SPSS. The findings revealed that teachers acknowledged the benefits of inclusive education, particularly its contribution to learning opportunities and social interaction, but expressed concerns regarding increased workload and overcrowded classrooms. No statistically significant gender differences were found in teachers’ perceptions and reported challenges, indicating that the major difficulties were associated with common institutional and resource conditions rather than gender. The study further identified weak school-level support, limited parental involvement, low societal acceptance, inadequate professional guidance, insufficient teacher training, shortages of instructional and assistive materials, and limited government support as major barriers. It concludes that inclusive education in District Haripur remains constrained by inadequate teacher preparation, limited resources, weak institutional coordination, and insufficient support from families and communities, and recommends continuous practical teacher training, improved instructional and assistive resources, stronger school leadership and specialist support, and greater parental and community engagement to facilitate effective inclusive education at the primary level.