Paper Title: Parental Awareness and Acceptance of Inclusive Education: A Study in North 24 Paraganas
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Abstract:
Over past few decades inclusive education has gained recognition as a vital pillar of fair and high-quality schooling worldwide calling for incorporation of children with disabilities and varied learning requirements into regular school settings. This study examines how aware and accepting parents in North 24 Paraganas district of West Bengal India are toward inclusive education. Using qualitative content analysis research draws on policy texts existing academic studies government publications and field-level secondary data to shed light on parental awareness acceptance underlying influencing factors and views on both prospects and difficulties of inclusion. The results show that although awareness of inclusive education is on rise—especially in urban and semi-urban localities—parental acceptance continues to vary widely influenced by factors such as household income cultural attitudes availability of information and past dealings with school system. The study also notes that parents of children without disabilities tend to worry about declining academic expectations while parents of children with disabilities hope for social belonging yet feel anxious about poor infrastructure and negative attitudes. The paper closes with practical suggestions for policymakers educators and community actors to build a genuinely inclusive learning environment in North 24 Paraganas.
Keywords:Inclusive education parental awareness parental acceptance children with disabilities North 24 Paraganas West Bengal qualitative content analysis Right to Education
DOI Link – https://doi.org/10.63431/AIJITR/3.II.2026.186-194
Review By – Dr. Parimal Sarkar and Dr. Paratha Sarathi Nandi