This study focuses on government policy and practice in Special Education in Botswana since independence. Using official, secondary and unpublished sources, government policy and the practice of the Ministry of Education is described and analysed. Attention is paid to practice prior to and after the 1993 second Education Commission and the subsequent revised plan published in 1994. The government's intention of using Special Education as a vehicle for social inclusion is noted, and then assessed in accord with practice. To facilitate the discussion a hypothesis is offered: whilst government policy is aimed at social inclusion, in practice it effects social exclusion. Policy is evaluated in the light of operational practice, and the factors that impinge on this are taken into account. Particular attention is paid to socio-economic and cultural factors and the government's middle- and long-term plans. The evidence suggests that the hypothesis is valid. In conclusion, suggestions are offered as to what would have to be done to ensure that Special Education could become a vehicle to social inclusion in Botswana.
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