Abstract:
he United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number four target five seeks to eliminate all forms of
discrimination in education for marginalized groups and vulnerable groups like street children. However,
their inclusion in mainstream education has not been explored. Literature acknowledges collaboration
among stakeholders as vital for reflection of practices and knowledge exchange and also used as a strategy
to foster creativity and innovation necessary for effective implementation of inclusive education. This study
explored perceptions of selected stakeholders towards collaboration as a strategy for enabling inclusion of
children in street situations in mainstream education and how such collaboration can be enhanced. A
qualitative approach was adopted selecting Kampala as a case. Five officials from government and Non-
governmental organizations were selected purposively to participate in this study. The data was generated
using semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Respondents perceived collaboration as key to
effectively include children in street situations in education. However, there were less meaningful
relationships amongst stakeholders and majority of them were not performing their roles regarding the
education of a child. The participants’ experiences of collaborative practices revealed barriers that hindered
their partnership regarding the educational inclusion of children in street situations. The study thus
concluded that collaboration can be enhanced through a multi-sectorial approach that brings all actors on
board in planning and implementation of education inclusion of children in street situations. The study,
therefore, recommended that the government should strengthen collaborative practices amongst
stakeholders through policy formulation, sensitization and allocation of funds to implement a well-designed
educational program based on the learning needs of children in street situations. These findings are of great
importance to the Ministry of Education, Head teachers, teachers, Non-Governmental Organizations and
other government bodies responsible for the welfare of children in street situations in planning and policy
formulation, guidance for including children in street situations in mainstream education so that they gain
from the efforts of inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
