The University of Guyana Early Childhood Centre of Excellence (UG-ECCE) is celebrating another significant international achievement after its Director, Dr. Lidon Lashley, received an international prestigious award for Excellence in Research Review and Analysis at the 2026 International Association for Laboratory Schools (IALS) Conference held recently in Finland.
Dr. Lashley, who serves on the IALS Research Committee and represented the UG-ECCE at the international conference, was recognised for his outstanding contribution to research review and analytical scholarship in the field of inclusive education. His participation at the conference also highlighted the growing impact of the University of Guyana’s research agenda and the pioneering work being conducted through the UG-ECCE.
While in Finland, Dr. Lashley presented research emerging from the UG-ECCE that examined how the education of Guyanese special education teachers is shaped by historical legacies, competing educational approaches and sociocultural realities that continue to obstruct functional inclusive education in Guyana and across the wider Global South.
His presentation explored how global movements toward inclusion and neurodiversity intersect with local realities such as systemic inequalities, limited resources, poverty, displacement, entrenched social attitudes, Indigenous and migrant experiences, and evolving forms of disabilities and neurodivergence. The research also examined the lived experiences of inclusive education practitioners and children with additional needs within these contexts.
Importantly, the presentation underscored the UG-ECCE’s ongoing efforts to model culturally sensitive and research-driven approaches to inclusive education within Guyana’s multicultural society. Through its work, the Centre continues to address gaps in curricula, pedagogy, cultural capital and innovative thinking while challenging traditional approaches that often exclude vulnerable populations.
Reflecting on the award, Dr. Lashley described the recognition as both personal and professionally affirming. “The University of Guyana Early Childhood Centre of Excellence has focused on inclusive education practices, pedagogies, principles and philosophies from its commencement of operation and research in 2022,” he explained.
He noted that the growing population of children with disabilities, neurodivergence, additional needs, and diverse sociocultural backgrounds at the Centre requires careful research and context-based analysis to ensure effective responses and evidence-based practice. “Personally, this award shows that my efforts for inclusive early childhood developmentally appropriate practices at UG-ECCE are recognised globally. Professionally, it bridges global research collaboration and the exchange of good practices, even organic experiences conceptualised at UG-ECCE,” Dr. Lashley said.
During his engagement at the conference, Dr. Lashley also addressed some of the major barriers affecting inclusive education in Guyana. According to him, one of the greatest challenges is the absence of a Guyanese or Global South conceptualised framework for inclusive education that reflects the country’s sociocultural realities.
He further explained that colonial legacies continue to influence education systems through “engrained meritocracy, ableist and elitist ideologies” that often marginalise children with disabilities, neurodivergence and additional needs.
Additionally, he highlighted how exclusionary attitudes and institutional limitations continue to obstruct a true sense of belonging for many children across educational settings in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.
Dr. Lashley stressed that understanding the lived realities of children from Indigenous, migrant, disadvantaged and other underrepresented backgrounds is critical to transforming education systems.
The award also shines a spotlight on the expanding body of research being conducted through the UG-ECCE, which has become an important hub for discussions surrounding inclusive education practices in Guyana, the Caribbean and beyond.
According to Dr. Lashley, the Centre continues to drive conversations and awareness through research, public engagement and practical interventions aimed at reshaping how inclusive education is understood and implemented. “Through research discourses across Guyana, the Caribbean and globally and enhanced parental awareness conversation framed through the research and practices at the UG-ECCE, we are helping to transform thinking and practices surrounding inclusive education,” he explained.
He added that the future of inclusive education depends on understanding evolving forms of diversity and disability in order to develop new pedagogies, policies and practices capable of creating meaningful inclusion for all learners.
Dr. Lashley’s achievement reflects not only his personal commitment to advancing inclusive education research, but also the University of Guyana’s growing reputation as a centre for innovative scholarship and socially responsive research.
The University of Guyana congratulates Dr. Lidon Lashley on this outstanding international recognition and commends his continued dedication to advancing inclusive education research and practice locally, regionally and globally. Please visit the UG-ECCE website to learn more about the work Dr Lashley and her team are conducting: https://ecce.uog.edu.gy/research-professional-development
The University of Guyana, through its students, faculty and research institutes, has consistently produced path-breaking research which continues to add to the existing body of knowledge in various areas of academic research. To learn more about UG’s research, please visit:
