Speaker
Description
Zaki, A. R.
Zamfara State College of Education, Maru
rilwanuzaki@gmail.com
Track: Inclusion, Equity and Digital Access
This study examined inclusion strategies to enhance Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) access for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in host communities in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Three objectives guided the study: identifying barriers to IDP children's access to ECCE, assessing the inclusion strategies adopted by host community schools, and determining the relationship between these strategies and IDP children's enrolment and participation. A descriptive, correlational survey design was adopted, with a population comprising ECCE caregivers and head teachers in public primary schools across the Gummi, Anka, and Maradun (Mafara) educational zones. A stratified random sample was drawn to ensure proportional representation across zones. A researcher-designed questionnaire served as the instrument. It was pilot-tested on a sample outside the study area and yielded a Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.78. Data were collected through direct administration and analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and means) and the Chi-square test for hypothesis testing. Findings revealed that inclusion strategies were inadequately implemented, characterised by overcrowded classrooms, a shortage of trained personnel, language barriers, and limited psychosocial support, which significantly contributed to low IDP enrolment. A significant relationship was established between inclusion strategies and access outcomes. These findings corroborate Adebayo and Musa (2021) and UNICEF (2022), who similarly reported infrastructural deficits and weak teacher preparedness as major impediments to displaced children's educational integration in Northern Nigeria. The study recommends intensive teacher capacity-building in inclusive pedagogy, provision of adapted learning materials and expanded infrastructure, and sustained community sensitisation programmes to strengthen the integration of IDP children into host community ECCE centres.