A policy specifically-designed to address inclusiveness in schools all over the island was unveiled on Tuesday, with a public consultation running until next month.

Unveiled at the St Benedict College in Kirkop, the new policy outlines 10 themes that educators would be able to follow to ensure inclusion in all schools.

Under the new policy, school leaders, for instance, would be tasked with ensuring that the diverse needs of different students were all met. They were encouraged to build what was being called “an effective learning community” at the schools.

Read: Report on inclusive education launched

Educators would have to set targets to ensure that the school as a whole developed and moved forward. A shift towards teaching that involved less curricular, social and physical barriers, and more towards increased accessibility was also being proposed. Parents and the rest of society would be urged to engage with the school community.

Mentoring of teachers to ensure a holistic environment was also being put forward while policies on positive behaviour would be introduced.

Speaking at the unveiling of the policy, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo insisted that ensuring inclusion was not an easy feat.

“Inclusion is difficult and it is difficult to understand this. It is not a destination but a continuous journey. We can speak about this a lot but unless there is love, it is useless to have professional development and to have talk and policies.

“At the end of the day, it is the commitment to open ourselves to each other and to those who are different to us. We need to understand that the educators face a difficult feat,” the minister said.

On his part, Permanent Secretary Frank Fabri insisted that inclusion that was exclusively tied to children with certain physical needs did not make sense. Instead, he said, the focus should be on the need of every single child and a move away from the one-size-fits-all approach.

The public consultation, which comes to an end on May 10, can be accessed here.