Supporting Disability Education through a Combination of Special Schools and Disability-Inclusive Schools in the Pacific Islands

This article reports on a multi-method study of the ways in which special and mainstream schools support the educational needs of children with disabilities in Fiji. The aims of the study were: (1) to identify capacity and functions of special schools to support inclusive mainstream schools for children with disabilities; and (2) to explore the capacity of mainstream disability-inclusive schools in meeting the needs of children with disabilities. Results from the special education survey indicated that type of disability, geographic location and controlling authority were associated with transition to mainstream education. Findings from the action research study suggest that supportive school leadership and positive attitudes towards disability and inclusion contribute to greater mobilisation of supporting resources. However, limitations in facilities and resources currently pose barriers which prevent inclusion for all students with disabilities. Together, these findings indicate that special and inclusive mainstream schools jointly support disability-inclusive education in Fiji.     

Paradigms and Perspectives of Simulation

Abstract

This article looks at the complex and multi‐faceted nature of paradigms and perspectives of gaming and simulation. It provides insight into the discipline by describing various broad categories into which the range of activity can be divided, and concludes by stressing the relevance of its application to contemporary problems.     

Educational administration and supervision in Japan

The administration and supervision of education represents one of the most controversial issues in post-war Japanese education. The basic issue is one of centralization or decentralization. The left wing teachers union favours local control, the conservative government, central control. The American Occupation established a system of local school boards which, as a result of political lobbying, were largely controlled by teachers union sympathisers. In 1956, four years after the end of the Occupation, the Japanese government eliminated the election of board members and replaced voluntary compliance with compulsory compliance with Ministry of Education objectives. This compulsory compliance was most clearly demonstrated in the central authorization of textbooks and in the implementation of theshunin system, which, the teachers union claims, introduces too many administrative positions into schools and further bureaucratized education. The Ministry claims that theshunin positions serve a guidance rather than an administrative function; the union on the other hand foresees the disruption of the unity of its rank and file members as a result of the insertion of a middle management wedge. Theshunin controversy clearly demonstrates how the administration of Japanese education has become enmeshed in partisan politics and Japanese history and tradition.     

Shaoxing East Lake： A Miniature Landscape

The East Lake is situated five kilometers to the east of the historic city of Shaoxing. With a wonderful combination of a hill, grottoes and stone bridges, it might pass for a miniature landscape. On a par with the West Lake in Hangzhou and the South Lake in Jiaxing, it is one of the three most famous lakes in southeast Zhejiang Province. Although it is quite small, its delicacy and elegance rank it among the best resorts in Shaoxing.