Promoting the implementation of inclusive education in primary schools in South Africa

The British Index for Inclusion was selected to be used in three primary schools in the Western Cape Province in South Africa in order to develop a South African model to assist in the development of inclusive schools. The Index for Inclusion process entails progression through a series of five developmental phases and this paper, written by Petra Engelbrecht, professor in educational psychology and special education and senior research director at Stellenbosch University, Marietjie Oswald, lecturer in special education at Stellenbosch University, and Chris Forlin, associate professor in special education at the Hong Kong Institute of Special Education, is a reflection of the first two phases. Qualitative data were generated from the consultative process followed in the schools during the first phase and both qualitative and quantitative data from questionnaires regarding the perceptions of all school community members on the inclusive practices or lack thereof in their schools during the second phase. The authors drew out the following five themes from the three sets of data: an inclusive school philosophy; democratic leadership, structures, processes and values; collaboration; addressing learner diversity; and resources. Petra Engelbrecht, Marietjie Oswald and Chris Forlin, all of whom were working on a UNESCO-funded project to trial the use of the Index for Inclusion in South Africa, suggest that these themes provided invaluable insights into both the common and unique complexities, the problems and the assets of the different school communities. The themes are discussed in detail in this article, raising fascinating issues for the development of inclusion in different contexts around the world, and will be used to inform the three remaining phases of the Index for Inclusion process.     

Five years gone: A case study of education policy implementation in the transition to democracy in South Africa

This paper marks the fifth anniversary of the unbanning of various liberation movements in South Africa. A new form of power-sharing is embodied in the Government of National Unity. The paper examines the history, vision, planning and implementation of the SYSTEM programme: Students and Youth into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This provides a case study of the policy process in the transition to democracy. A picture emerges of a process connected both to individuals and movements, with the need both for political legitimacy and planned evaluation. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd     

The idealism of education policies and the realities in schools: the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa

Inclusive education as a global movement emerged over the past 30 years to ensure quality mainstream education for all learners. Since 1994 the newly democratic South Africa also had expectations as well as the political will to change education by adjusting legislation and policies. However, the vision of a truly inclusive education system in South Africa has been difficult to achieve and results regarding the implementation of inclusive education remain questionable. There has been a growing realisation that the advent of democracy was not in itself a sufficient condition for the elimination of historical and structural inequalities in education with as recurring theme the dissonance between the government's socio-political imperative for change and economic realities. This article focuses on the development of policy and guidelines on inclusive education in dynamic interaction with the complexity of realities in South African schools with a special focus on the policy recommendations regarding the development of full-service schools. The constant comparative analysis of the two phased case study of a full-service school in a rural town revealed interesting results illustrating the complexities regarding the implementation of inclusive education and the challenges and opportunities in bridging the gap between the idealism of policies and the realities in schools.     

Inclusive education in Australia ten years after Salamanca

While many states and territories in Australia were initially a little slow to develop a strong momentum towards inclusive educational practices, this has been addressed quite dramatically in the past ten years. Acknowledging that each jurisdiction in Australia has its own department of education and determines its own educational directions this paper will focus on broad developments across all jurisdictions in order to provide an overall analysis of how inclusive education has evolved. This discussion paper will focus on systemic changes since the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994), involving the education of students with diverse learning needs. A review of Australian research identifies the implications for specialist peripatetic support staff, the personal beliefs and values of teachers and the need for more structured pre- and in-service training for teachers to enable them to meet the educational, social and emotional needs of all children engaged in inclusive experiences.     

South Africa: First steps in the development of an inclusive education system

In this paper we trace the development of policy and legislation since 1994, which marked the introduction of a unitary non-racial system of education and training in South Africa. Policy development in this context has been guided by the universal principles of a human right to basic education, equality and the recognition of the democratic rights of parents, teachers and all learners, including those with disabilities. A major paradigm shift in education policy has reflected a move from a dual, special and general education system towards the transformation of general education to recognise and address the diverse learning needs of all learners. There have been several government initiatives aimed at restructuring and strengthening the general curriculum. This includes the introduction of a new national curriculum to accommodate a diverse range of system and learner needs. The most recent education policy recommends a shift in thinking about 'special needs and support services' in this country towards a commitment to the development of an inclusive education and training system. The real challenge which faces this country will be in the implementation of these recommendations.     

Confronting inclusive education in Africa since Salamanca

ABSTRACT

The move towards Inclusive Education in Africa since Salamanca (1994) has been slow, despite the reduction in enrolment gaps for vulnerable children due to universal primary education in many countries. This article centres on conceptions of Inclusive Education, which have rested primarily on increasing numbers of children with disabilities and special needs in mainstream schools. The article shares some of the key challenges across countries that have limited progress towards Inclusive Education and some achievements, including local thinking towards a broader view of inclusion within a social model and attention to barriers within contexts. It looks specifically at notions of ‘inclusion’ within the African context and the focus on access for the most marginalised which remain problematic in the face of struggling economies and variants of authoritarianism replacing colonial power. Ironically, links to colonial powers are maintained with a continued reliance on international aid and support to move policy agendas forward and to support local communities. The article looks at this tension in the development of policies and practices moving forward and the tension in relation to the African struggle for freedom and ‘ubuntu’, a shared collective humanness and social ethics against oppression to maintain group cohesion.     

Ethnicity and education for democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article reviews recent global political changes and describes how they have helped to recreate interest in a democratic agenda in Africa. In the past, two of the major obstacles to democracy in post-independence Africa have been ethnic conflict and the resulting authoritarian political systems. However, there have been exceptions to this and neither authoritarianism nor democracy have become fully institutionalised. If, in the future, democratic political institutions in Africa are going to be sustained by a supportive political culture, then schools will have to consciously educate for democracy rather than support authoritarianism as they tend to do at the moment. In particular they will need to educate for ethnic tolerance and mutual respect and this will require changes both in classroom and whole school organisation.     

Adult education in the Limpopo province of South Africa: challenges for policy implementation

In this article we report and reflect on a study about the problems encountered in the implementation of adult education policies in the Limpopo province of South Africa. We used the model of intergovernmental policy implementation of Van Horn and Van Meter as a theoretical framework. We reflect on this study and link the findings with more recent literature on and experiences with developments in the implementation of adult education policies. The findings of our study show several discontinuities and contradictions in the implementation of an adult education policy, partly caused by the legacies of the past. A central recommendation, informed by contributions from stakeholders at grassroots level, is to use a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches (bottopdown) in policy development to improve the quality of the implementation.     

Private higher education in Africa: The case of Monash South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to review the contribution of private institutions to higher education in Africa and use Monash South Africa as a case study. A literature search was conducted to gain perspective on the current situation with respect to private higher education institutions in Africa and how they are perceived in relation to public higher education institutions.

In comparison with public higher education institutions, private higher education institutions in Africa were successful in four areas: ? Widening access to higher education in the continent

? Improving the quality of education

? Improving student experience

? Increasing the recognition and marketability of their degrees

However, private higher education institutions in Africa have failed in two areas: ? Reducing the costs of higher education in Africa

? Assisting with retention of skilled human capital in African countries.

In fact, private higher education institutions in Africa, have exacerbated the two situations above.

Monash South Africa was the first foreign university to be established in South Africa and one of over 100 private universities in the continent. As a campus of Monash University in Africa, it has seen a steady growth with over 3,500 students in the past 10 years of its existence. Like other private institutions, the campus was successful in the four areas above and also fails in the area of costs and assisting in retention of skilled staff in Africa. The campus has been successful in blending its private provider status with a public purpose mandate by offering degrees in social science, business and economics, information technology and health sciences.     

Aims of education in South Africa

The first part of this paper gives a historical account of the aims of education under Apartheid, and discusses the ideological success of Apartheid education. The second part argues that a significant discussion — that is one which could have some purchase on schooling policy and educational practice — of aims of education in South Africa is not possible at present because the historical preconditions for such a discussion are not satisfied. It is argued that Apartheid has generated a political perspective which is unsympathetic to a discussion of aims of education; that the dominance of a social engineering model of schooling distorts a discussion of aims of education; and that a shared moral discourse, which is a necessary condition for a significant discussion of aims of education, does not yet exist in South Africa.

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Zusammenfassung Der erste Teil dieses Artikels enthält einen historischen Bericht über Erziehungsziele unter dem Apartheidssystem und untersucht den ideologischen Erfolg dieser Apartheiderzichung. Im zweiten Teil wird erläutert, daß eine sinnvolle Diskussion — nämlich eine, die einen gewissen Einfluß auf die Schulpolitik und die erzieherische Praxis nehmen könnte — über Erziehungsziele in Südafrika zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt nicht möglich wäre, da die historischen voraussetzungen für eine solche Diskussion nicht gegeben sind. Im weiteren wird ausgeführt, daß die Apartheid eine politische Perspektive erzeugt hat, die einer Diskussion über Erziehungsziele nicht förderlich ist, daß das herrschende Erziehungsmodell, das hauptsächlich der Strukturierung der Gesellschaft dient, eine solche Diskussion verzerrt und daß ein gemeinsamer moralischer Rahmen, der die notwendige Voraussetzung für eine sinnvolle Diskussion über Erziehungsziele ist, in Südafrika bisher noch nicht existiert.

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Résumé La première partie de cet article présente un exposé historique des objectifs de l'éducation sous l'apartheid et examine le succès idéologique de l'éducation de ce système. Dans la deuxième partie, on affirme qu'une discussion importante (c'est-à-dire qui aurait une certaine influence sur la politique et la pratique éducatives) sur les objectifs de l'éducation en Afrique du Sud n'est pas possible à l'heure actuelle attendu que les conditions préalables à une telle discussion ne sont pas remplies. On souligne que l'apartheid a engendré une perspective politique qui n'est pas favorable à une discussion sur les objectifs de l'éducation; que la dominance d'un modèle éducatif social manigancé fausse la discussion sur les objectifs éducatifs; et qu'un discours moral partagé, qui est le préalable à une discussion pertinente sur les objectifs de l'éducation, n'existe encore pas en Afrique du Sud.

     

Redefining assessment? The first ten years of assessment in education

The completion of the first ten years of this journal is an occasion for review and reflection. The main issues that have been addressed over the ten years are summarized in four main sections: Purposes, International Trends, Quality Concerns and Assessment for Learning. Each of these illustrates the underlying significance of the themes of principles, policy and practice, which the journal highlights in its subtitle. The many contributions to these themes that the journal has published illustrate the diversity and complex interactions of the issues. They also illustrate that, across the world, political and public pressures have had the effect of enhancing the dominance of assessment so that the decade has seen a hardening, rather than any resolution, of its many negative effects on society. A closing section looks ahead, arguing that there is a move to rethink more radically the practices and priorities of assessment if it is to respond to human needs rather than to frustrate them.     

The inclusive practice project in Scotland: Teacher education for inclusive education

While differences in national contexts are associated with variations in how teachers are trained and school systems are organised, the conceptual and philosophical problems of equity and inclusion in schooling are shared concerns. This paper describes how the structure and content of an initial teacher education programme for primary and secondary teachers has been revised to ensure that social and educational inclusion is addressed within the core programme. A rationale is presented for the development of ‘inclusive practice’, followed by a discussion of the reforms and an outline of the effects that are expected in the classroom practices of teachers in schools.     

The politics of mergers in higher education in South Africa

How do political forces come together to influence merger forms and outcomes? This question is posed in a context of an analysis of the forms and outcomes of three “case studies” of mergers that took place in South Africa in the past decade. The theoretical stance, borne out by the data under review, places political actors at the centre of the explanation for change and continuity in the merger of institutions. While there are clearly broad lessons that could apply in other national contexts, the paper recognises that the fact that most published studies on mergers originate in established economies like those of Norway, Australia, England, the USA. The paper poses the question, therefore: do mergers follow different processes and deliver different outcomes in the social, economic and political contexts of third world institutions?     

South Africa: The need for a radical restructuring of specialized education in the new South Africa

Sigamoney Naicker, a lecturer in Specialized Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Western Cape, provides an analysis of specialized education after one year of the first democratic government in South Africa.     

Managing NVQs in the further and higher education sector ten years after their introduction

This paper examines the management of NVQs by colleges of further and higher education ten years after their initial introduction to colleges in Northern Ireland. In-depth interviews were carried out with middle and senior college management. The interview protocol was developed to obtain contemporary insights into NVQ management in the further and higher education sector. The findings report a positive experience at management level and the benefits of working in collaboration with employers, but frustrations remain at the pace of progress during this period. The study also shows that due to this pace and the limited level of development during the early part of the past decade of NVQ delivery, more work remains to improve the working relationships between colleges and employers at all levels of NVQ delivery. It also provides a foundation upon which to monitor developments periodically as NVQs have now become fully embedded within the further and higher education sector.