A/HRC/4/29 page 14 of available resources” in such a way that resources are used optimally and focused on meeting clear benchmarks. This implicates the necessity of early identification and implementation of appropriate, cost-effective measures. National action plans for human rights as well as rights-based budgeting will contribute to the success of all such measures. Similarly, it is important to ensure the sustainability of education funding. If education programmes are set to ensure greater inclusion and then the budget is cut, the adverse effects on inclusion are obvious. 39. A particular challenge in the context of promoting and protecting the general right to education is, clearly, the need to ensure that the education system meets the special education needs of persons with disabilities. An early response was, as noted above, to provide segregated schools. While positive in some respects (for instance, facilitating social contact with some peer groups, and specific academic achievements), segregated education has tended to perpetuate the marginalization and stereotyping of persons with disabilities and to reduce their capacity to participate effectively in community life. It is now widely recognized that inclusion of learners with disabilities in mainstream schools confers significant psychological advantages, as well as greater fulfilment of intellectual and, especially, social and emotional needs through regular and natural interaction with a diverse group of learners. The current challenge is how best to provide appropriate opportunities for these learners within mainstream schools. Continued research to this effect is necessary. 40. However, the relationship between special education and inclusive education remains extraordinarily complex. For example, it is necessary for deaf learners to learn sign language and blind learners to study Braille at the beginning of their education.23 Such learning may take place, even in a school committed to inclusion, by way of separation of, for instance, a deaf learner from those that hear. Here, therefore, the goal of inclusion might be thwarted. Another challenge, briefly touched on above, arises when “integration” is confused with “inclusion”: where learners with disabilities are merely placed in mainstream schools without the additional support required to accommodate their individual needs. The “integration” of learners with disabilities without full inclusion can lead to isolation of the learner and ultimately, an obstacle to meeting the education needs of all learners. 41. A combination of the above leads the Special Rapporteur to underline the fact that the inclusive education paradigm should not be seen as a “one-system-fits-all” solution. Embracing principles of participation and non-discrimination, innovative, individually focused and flexible implementation, which addresses all disabilities and cultural variability, is crucial. First and foremost however, inclusive education - when considering education of child learners - must take into account “the best interests of the child”. In so doing, the focus must move away from disability - an approach typical of the medical model - towards the individual education needs of all children, whether they are learners with or without disabilities. Such considerations must be taken fully into account within the overall framework of an inclusive general education system. 23 Jokinen, Markku, “Meeting the best interests of the child through special education in the context of inclusive education and the identification of specific support services required by students with disabilities”, Speech to the expert meeting on the right to education of persons with disabilities, OHCHR, Geneva, November 2006.