Inclusive education strives to address the learning needs of students with special abilities / needs, with a particular focus on those who are subject to being isolated and excluded. The philosophy behind inclusive education is to promote opportunities for all students to participate, learn and have equal treatment, irrespective of their social, mental or physical abilities. In classrooms today , there is a growing number of children, which have some form of learning disabilities. It may vary in its degree or extent, but it is present. In the contemporary form of schooling, any child with the slightest detectable form of disability, is sent to the special educator/counsellor, for “remediation/remedial teaching”. This hampers the learning process of the child and instead of “inclusion”, which is the prima-facie aim of the present- day educational system, it “excludes” the student. As it is widely known, there are quite a few hidden disabilities that can be often mistaken for laziness, stubbornness and an indifferent attitude towards studies. So the teachers need to be aware of what the condition is, how it manifests and what kind of specialized help these children need so that they could be trained to cope with their academics. While most B.Ed courses cover the regular teaching methodology, they do not cover the learning disabilities in detail. This presents us with an inherent need for a course that builds on the B.Ed training & extends the knowledge of the teacher, to deal effectively with students with learning disabilities. This paper tries to understand the need for a process for the teacher to retain the student within the classroom and formulate implementable learning strategies for the child to cope up with the rest of the class, on the same learning pace, with a special emphasis on the administrative perspective of school principals. ___________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Smita Phatak is an Associate Professor at Tilak College of Education, Pune and has an illustrious career as an educator and a research guide. Ms. Pinaze Dubash has completed her B.Ed from H. G. M. Azam College, in 2009, M.Ed from Tilak College of Education in 2010 and is, at present, pursuing her Ph.D from Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune under the guidance of Dr. Smita Phatak
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