Abstract

The study examined the implementation of inclusive education policies for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 in primary schools in Imo State, Nigeria. Three objectives, with corresponding research questions and hypotheses, guided the study. The research design was a descriptive survey involving a population of 9,041 teachers in 1,278 public primary schools in Imo State. A sample of 450 teachers was selected using stratified random sampling. A structured questionnaire titled: Implementation of Inclusive Education Policies for the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 4 Questionnaire (IIEPASDGQ), was developed by the researcher based on a modified 4-point Likert scale, with a reliability index of 0.87 determined by Cronbach's Alpha. Means and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions, while z-test was used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significant level. The findings showed that there is inadequate provision of educational facilities for implementing inclusive education policies aimed at achieving SDG 4 in Imo State. Conversely, teachers demonstrated the use of effective instructional methods and supervision activities in supporting inclusive education for SDG 4. The study concluded that the implementation of inclusive education policies in Imo State primary schools is hindered primarily by insufficient educational facilities. However, teachers display adequate instructional strategies that support inclusive practices. This indicates that although instructional capacity is promising, urgent infrastructural improvements are necessary to fully enhance the implementation of inclusive education policy for achieving SDG 4. It was therefore recommended among others that the government, through the Universal Basic Education Commission, should promote public awareness about the concept of inclusive education and its benefits and adequately provide educational facilities to enable the head teachers to effectively implement inclusive education.