35 Journal of ICSAR ISSN (print): 2548-8619; ISSN (online): 2548-8600 Volume 4 Number 1, January 2020: 35-39 Special Education Systems in Five Countries: Indonesia, Norway, Malaysia, Netherlands, Thailand Dewi Kurniati, Herry Widyastono Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia Email: Dewikurniati1442@gmail.com Abstract This article discusses a comparison of special education in five countries. Two countries are on the continent of Europe, and three other countries are on Asia’s continent. This article describes the forms of special education that exist in each country. The five countries have different systems of special education policies. The similarity found from each country is that all countries have implemented an inclusive education system. Keywords: Special Education; Indonesia; Norway; Malaysia; Netherlands; Thailand INTRODUCTION Special education has a very broad scope, there are no restrictions such as educating students with severe disabilities, gifted and mainstreaming education for children with mild disabilities. To overcome all this diversity, special education is responsible for everything including problems and issues related to special education. There are many issues and practices about the scope of special education covering all levels of disability, it is still widely discussed in special education. Discussions in special education are not only in the aspect of student disability, but there are still many discussions related to the paradigm or view of placing children with special needs in special education services. With this paradigm, sometimes the understanding and services provided by parents, educators, schools and the government are less than optimal. Basically, the purpose of special education is not only in the aspect of academic education, but covers all aspects of life, such as economic, occupational, social, and others. Education services should not differentiate between regular students and students with special needs, students need to be given the freedom to discover and develop their potential. So that they can live their daily lives and contribute to society. This article will discuss views regarding programs and placements for students with special needs in several countries in Asia and Europe. Special Education System in Indonesia There are many types of special education services in Indonesia, including: Segregation School. According to the PLB Directorate in Sulthon (2015) said that segregation education is education that is carried out separately both in terms of curriculum, implementation and teaching staff, segregation education in practice takes the form of special schools and extraordinary elementary schools and integrated schools. Special Schools are schools that specifically provide educational services for one particular type of disability, such as SLB-A for blind children, SLB-B specifically for deaf children and so on. Medium Extraordinary Elementary Schools (SDLB) are schools established by the government in the context of completing compulsory education for children aged 7-12 years located in each district to deal with several disabilities. So SDLB can handle blind, deaf, mentally retarded, physically handicapped and mentally retarded children in one school. Integrated schools are public schools that accept children with disabilities with the same curriculum as normal children, such as blind children attending public high schools. Lestari (2010) explains the forms of schools in the segregated education system consisting of Extraordinary Schools, Extraordinary Elementary Schools, Class Away/Visiting Classes, Boarding Schools, Hospital Schools. Some of these schools have played a role in serving students with special needs in Indonesia. Dwidjosumarto (1996) revealed that the integrated education system is an education system that provides opportunities for extraordinary children to study together with ordinary (normal) children in public schools. While SA. Bratanata (1974) gives the term integrated education, namely education for children with disabilities who are received together with normal children, and held in ordinary schools. This form of education has been widely enjoyed, especially by blind children who are able and able to compete with normal children”. Furthermore, Abdurrahman (1996) suggests that “integration education must meet at least 4 (four) criteria, namely: 1) Integrating extraordinary students 36 Journal of ICSAR; Volume 4 Number 1, January 2020: 35-39 (with disabilities and those who have advantages) with normal students in a learning environment, includes a commitment from location integration to full integration; 2) Integrate and optimize potential development that includes cognitive, affective, psychomotor and interactive; 3) Integrating human nature as social beings into a form of learning strategy; 4) Integrate what students are learning today with tasks that must be carried out in the future. Many schools that have special classes have special programs to encourage interaction between students with and without special educational needs. For example, in some schools, children spend the morning in special classes and in the afternoon in regular classes. Teachers and assistants from special classes usually support placement in special classes. Opportunities for the interaction, based on the principle of normalization. It is far from possible if the child is integrated into a regular school. The types of integration schools in Indonesia are as follows: Physical Location Integration (Special Class). In the physical location integration school model, children with special needs receive special services in special classes/schools with a PLB curriculum, the location of the building is in the same area as a public school which will then naturally provide contact between ABK and normal children. Integration in Social Aspect (Ordinary Class with Special Guidance). Children with special needs are involved in certain activities such as playing, sports, singing, eating, recreation, etc. But the curriculum used is partly using the SLB curriculum, some using the general school curriculum. Functional Integration or Full Integration (Ordinary Class). Children with special needs and normal children lead to joint activities in all activities or teaching and learning processes, but in certain cases children with special needs receive guidance if they have difficulties related to their disability.. Inclusive School. According to Sulthon (2015) states that inclusive education is an educational service system that requires that all children with disabilities can be served in nearby schools, in regular classes with their peers. Meanwhile, Sulthon (2013) stated that inclusive schools are schools that accommodate all students in the same class. This school provides an educational program that is appropriate, challenging, but according to abilities and needs. Every student gets the help and support provided by the teachers so that the children succeed. So that it can be interpreted that inclusive schools are regular schools that coordinate and integrate regular students and students with special needs in the same program. Inclusion occurs in all social environments of children, in families, in peer groups, in schools, and in other social institutions. Inclusion does include children with special needs. However, broadly inclusive also means involving all students without exception, such as: 1) children who use a language different from the language of instruction used in the classroom. 2) children who are at risk of dropping out of school due to illness, hunger or not doing well. 3) children who come from different religious groups or castes. 4) children infected with HIV or AIDS, and 5) children who are of school age but not in school. (Lestari, 2010) Types of inclusive education according to Sulthon (2015); Regular Class (Full Inclusion), Regular Class with Clusters, Regular Class with Pull Out, Regular Class with Clusters and Pull Outs, Special Class with Multiple Integrations, and Full Special Class. Norwegian Special Education System In Norway there is only one form of educational service for children with special needs, namely the form of inclusive services. Children with special needs attend regular schools in each municipality. Every service needed by students will be fulfilled by the various parties concerned. The level of schools and the forms of services that exist in education in Norway are as follows: Elementary and Middle School Level. In special needs education, students are entitled to a specially adapted school. This additional adjustment is borne by the government. Education with special needs may involve schemes related to development and work methods, modification of the curriculum, teachers with special qualifications, or organizational adaptation. Students who are eligible for special education have an individualized education program (IEP) which is developed according to the results and advice provided by the psychological-educational service (PPT). The IEP may include educational mapping, content (target achievement and learning objectives), methods (assignments, learning aids/materials, and assessments) and organization (learning environment and staff). The plan is evaluated once a year in the annual report. The IEP should only be valid for no more than 3 years, and should be replaced when it is 3 years old. According to the Education Act, special needs education should be provided in classrooms or core groups to the extent possible and appropriate. Special needs education can be given in core classes/groups, in separate groups, or alone. Students receiving special needs education may also affiliate with groups other than their class, or they may receive instruction in other alternative learning environments. In the 2018-2019 school year, 7.8% (49,755) of all students in primary and junior secondary schools had administrative decisions on special education. Of these 37Dewi Kurniati, Herry Widyastono, Special Education Systems in Five Countries... students: 43% received special education especially those integrated in regular classrooms. 13% received special education individually. 36% received special education in groups of 2-5 children. 8% get special education in groups of more than 6. High Schcool Level. In Norway, high school (grades 11-13) is a vocational school. Vocational training is an integral part of the existing upper secondary education system in Norway. Students can access special needs provision in regular courses, in alternative or adapted courses at school, or in on-the- job training. In addition to special privileges for certain study programs, special attention is given to ABK with severe disabilities, ABK who have the right to education using sign language are also fulfilled, and ABK can be given extra time to complete their studies. Students who are given extra time, have the right to extend two years of senior secondary education and training when this is necessary to achieve their respective academic or vocational goals. Students who receive special needs education in senior high school are divided into two groups when receiving a diploma. One group consists of students aiming for a full qualification and a regular diploma. Another group receives special needs education with the aim of obtaining a lower level qualification or a planned basic qualification. The Education Act refers to basic qualifications as any form of education or training that does not lead to full university or college admission certification or full vocational qualifications. Basic qualifications are documented in the form of training certificates and can be planned or unplanned. A basic qualification is a qualification at a lower level than a full vocational qualification or university and college admissions certification. The prospective student or trainee receives training based around that subject, or part of the subject, which he or she can master. Some students make significant changes from the curriculum in all or most of the subjects, while for others it is a case of minor deviations from the regular curriculum. Special Education System in Malaysia Malaysia uses a centralized education system and the Ministry of Education (Ministry of Education) is responsible for the development and management of formal education for every child including individuals with special needs (in Malaysian it is referred to as individuals with special needs or less effort). In the Education Act (1996) the concept of disability (disabled) is dealing with students who have vision, hearing and learning problems. Children with special needs who are also students of special education in Malaysia can get education based on four types of education programs provided by the ministry, namely: Typical School / Special School. Every typical school or special school in Malaysia only focuses on one type of obstacle/problem, namely vision problems (ATN), hearing problems (ATR) and learning problems. Integration Special Education Program. The Integrated Education Program (PPKI) is a special education program for children with special needs who study in separate classes from regular children in the same school. Specialized Education Program Integration with Inclusive Approach. The typical integration education program with an inclusive approach is a program intended for children with special needs who are in a typical integration education program who can be transferred to regular classes at the school. Inclusive Education Program. Educational program intended for children with special needs who do not have cognitive problems or have mild cognitive problems. Inclusive education programs can also be intended for children with special needs, not students with special education. There are two types of inclusion programs that can be provided, namely: 1) Full inclusion. In the full inclusion program, children with special needs participate in all learning in regular classes based on the national curriculum without modification and/or the national curriculum that has been adapted to children with special needs. 2) Partial inclusion. In the partial inclusion program, children with special needs only study together with regular children in certain subjects according to their abilities, potential and talents. Inclusive education programs in Malaysia are still limited and only available in a few schools. In addition to the placement of children with special needs that have been described, there are 4 types of children with special needs who attend regular schools or participate in integrated programs, namely children with disabilities, autism, ADHD, dyslexia and children who have 3M problems (reading, writing and counting). The Special Education System in the Netherlands Since 1998 the Netherlands has placed children with special needs in several classes. The placement was after the law on Expertise Centers came into effect in 1998 and came into force or had a real impact in 2003. There are differences in the meaning of Special Education and Special Basic Education. Special basic education is for children who do not develop optimally in primary education. It concerns a lighter problem than the problems students have to face in special education. In the Netherlands, there is a continuous improvement between separate education (special 38 Journal of ICSAR; Volume 4 Number 1, January 2020: 35-39 schools) and full inclusive schools. There are many public schools with students with special educational needs in regular classes and public schools with special classes for children with special needs in schools. Some public schools specialize in certain target groups. Education for children with special needs includes various forms, namely : Special Education (Speciaal Onderwijs). Special education schools are for students with physical, sensory or mental disabilities and for students with psychological or behavioral problems. For these students there are schools which are divided into four groups: 1) Cluster 1: Schools for blind students or blind students (blind students); 2) Cluster 2: Schools for deaf students, deaf students, students with severe speech difficulties, and students with communication problems; 3) Cluster 3: Schools for students with physical and/or intellectual disabilities, students with learning difficulties and students with long-term disabilities, students with epilepsy and students with various disabilities that are very difficult to learn; 4) Cluster 4: Schools for students with serious behavioral problems and/or psychiatric problems. Special Basic Education (Speciaal Basisonderwijs). Schools for special basic education (SBO) are not included in special education, but under regular education. The Special Skills Center Act (WEC) applies to schools for special education. The Basic Education Act applies to schools for special primary education. Special primary schools are reserved for students with learning, behavioral and/or parenting problems and therefore cannot be managed within a regular primary school. The students go to special elementary schools. Practical Education For students who have not earned a diploma at VMBO, or with extra length assistance, there is practical training. This special form of education prepares students for a place in the labor market. Inclusion Inclusive education in the Netherlands is called “Appropriate Education”. This is the name for a new way of teaching children who need extra support and in an organized manner. Due to the appropriate education, more children are able to follow, although with additional support, but still in regular education. The existence of a new law on “Appropriate Education”. The aim of the new law is to ensure that all children, including children who need extra support in the classroom, have a suitable place of education. The essence of education remains the same: to challenge every child to get the best out of themselves. The starting point for proper education: if, the child can attend a regular school, otherwise, he goes to special education. Special Education System in Thailand There are 2 types of schools for children with special needs in Thailand, namely: integration schools for children with mild disabilities and special schools (SLB) for children with severe and multiple disabilities. The number of students with special needs in regular schools in Thailand increased substantially from around 60,000 in 2012 to around 25,000 in 2015. Of the 427 Bangkok Metropolitan Schools, 310 are regular schools and 127 integration schools. It is the policy of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration that the school accommodates all children in the area. However, in practice, 310 regular schools may refer students with disabilities to one of the closest integrated schools if the schools find themselves not equipped to accommodate students with disabilities, particularly students with significant disabilities (Vibulpatanavong, 2017). Most of the regular public schools in Thailand that accept children with special needs are called ‘integration’ schools. School integrations vary in how they accommodate students with special needs. In most integration schools, students with special needs attend one of the following programs: 1) Full-time dedicated classrooms. 2) Regular classrooms for part of the day and special classrooms for part of the day. 3) Full-time regular classroom. (Sukbunpant, 2016) Special education teachers (GPK) have the responsibility to prepare students with special needs for regular classrooms and to work closely with regular teachers in guiding students with special needs into regular classrooms. However, some students with special needs in regular schools in Thailand attend full- time dedicated classrooms throughout the school and only participate with regular students in extra-curricular activities and sports (Vibulpatanavong, 2017). Sometimes in practice students with special needs in regular classrooms in Thailand may “only represent physical inclusion and may not represent an appropriate education for these students”. In addition, “adaptations and modifications for students with special needs in regular classrooms are not common in Thailand”, hence regular teacher training on curriculum and adaptation of teaching to increase the involvement of all students in regular classrooms (Vibulpatanavong, 2017). While it appears that Thailand has made great progress in providing access to education in regular schools for students with special needs, it is time for the country to move forward to focus on the quality of education that children with disabilities receive in regular schools. The Ministry of Education by the Bureau of Special Education Administrator has carried out the 39Dewi Kurniati, Herry Widyastono, Special Education Systems in Five Countries... Lestari, Yuni. (2010). Pendidikan Segregatif, Integratif dan Inklusif [Segregative, Integrative and Inclusive Education]. Retrivied from http:// lukman coroners.blogspot.com/2010/04/disusun- oleh-nouval-neni-kurnianingsih.html. Norwegian Directorate of Health Rehabilitation and Rare Disorders Department. (2013). Children and young people with disabilities – what rights does the family have? Retrivied from https:// helsenorge.no/SiteCollection Documents/ Children%20and%20young%20people%20 with%20disabilities%20-%20what%20rights%20 does%20the%20family%20have.pdf. Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. (2007). Education – From Kindergarten to Adult Education. Retrivied from https://www.udir.no/ global assets/upload/brosjyrer/5/education_in_ norway.pdf. Sawangsri, S. 2005. Job preparing for students with intellectual disabilities and autism in special education in Thailand. Final Report of the 25th Asia-Pacific International Seminar on Special Education. Retrivied from http://www.nise.go.jp/ kenshuka/josa/kankobutsu/pub_d/d-240.pdf Sukbunpant, Sasipin. (2016). The comparison of special education between Thailand and the United States: Inclusion and support for children with autism spectrum disorder. Retrivied from https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/271329022_The_comparison_of_ special_education_between_Thailand_and_ the_United_States_Inclusion_and_support_for_ children_with_autism_spectrum_disorder Sulthon, S. (2015). Mengenal Pendidikan Multikultural Bagi Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus Dengan Model Inklusi Dalam Pendidikan Islam. Addin, 7(1). The Dutch Inspectorate of Education. (2014). The State of Education in the Netherlands. Retrivied from https://english.onderwijsinspectie.nl/binaries/ onderwijsinspectie_eng/documents/annual- reports/2014/09/11/the-state-of-education-in-the- netherlands -2012-2013/the-state-of-education-in- the-netherlands-2012-2013.pdf Vibulpatanavong, Kanokporn. (2017). Inclusive Education in Thailand, Department of Curriculum and Instruction Srinakharinwirot University Bangkok. Retrivied from https://download. atlantis-press.com/article/25889734.pdf responsibility for the education of children with special needs and disadvantaged students. There are 43 special schools in Thailand, 19 schools are schools for students with intellectual disabilities, 20 schools are for deaf students, 2 schools are for students with physical visual impairment and 2 schools are for students with visual impairments. The numbers of children with special needs in special schools, the total is 12,992 students, out of 6,449 students are declared intellectually impaired. In addition, 63 provincial centers and 13 regional centers on special education also provide services for children with special needs, including information on children with special needs, education and rehabilitation. All special schools and education centers cooperate in maintaining information in each province. Since the availability of special education services for children with special needs, the curriculum in all schools must be adapted to the abilities of children with special needs (Sawangsri, 2005). CONCLUSION Special education is a right for all citizens with disabilities. The system of special education services in various countries is carried out in various ways considering the different conditions and local politics. Attention to special education in the 5 countries studied already illustrates an equal and equitable education system. The difference in the system of providing special education is due to the different names of educational institutions and the system of school administration. However, the essence of the implementation of special education remains the same, namely providing equal opportunities to all students, including students with disabilities. REFERENCES Abdurrahman, Mulyono. (1996). Pendidikan Bagi Anak Berkesulitan Belajar [Education for Children with Learning Difficulties]. Jakarta : Dirjen Dikti. Akta Pendidikan Malaysia [Malaysian Education Act]. Retrivied from https://www.scribd.com/ document/318136988/Akta-Pendidikan-1996 Dwidjosumarto. (1996). Psikologi ABK [Psychology of children with special needs]. Jakarta : Depdikbud.