ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION AND PRACTICE OF INCLUSIVE POLICY

Implementing the inclusive policy is far from easy and evidence of progress is limited in most countries. Moreover, it must not be assumed that there is full acceptance of the inclusive policy. There are, for example, those who argue that small specialist units located in the standard school environment can provide specialist knowledge, equipment and support for which the mainstream classroom and teacher can never provide a full substitute (Stofile & Green, 2007:56).

The emphasis in inclusive education that is evident in many countries challenge special needs practitioners to reconsider their own thinking and practice. This context of uncertainty provides the special education field with new opportunities for continuing its historic purpose of representing the interests of those learners who became marginalised within existing educational arrangements.

Provision for children experiencing difficulties within mainstream schools grew as a result of gradual recognition that some pupils were marginalised within and in some instances, excluded from existing arrangements for providing education. As this provision developed during the latter part of the twentieth century, there was also increased emphasis on notions of integration as special schools’ educators explored ways of supporting previously segregated groups to find a place in mainstream schools (Ainscow, 2002:25).

According to Engelbrecht and Green (2006:50), the successful implementation of inclusive education programmes is contingent on several key factors, including positive teacher attitudes towards and adequate teacher knowledge of inclusion. The attitudes of many regular school principals and teachers towards inclusion have, unfortunately, been found often not to be positive. Teachers and principals have demonstrated lack of knowledge about learners with learning barriers and inclusion.

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In conclusion, it is evident that inclusive education is not well accepted as many regular school principals and teachers still doubt its effectiveness. Those who do not doubt it are still struggling to implement it in their schools. This can be attributed to the fact that many teachers and principals have spent a lot of time operating in different systems of education, namely, education which caters for children with diverse educational needs and education which caters for learners without diverse educational needs.

To change to one single education system requires a lot of time. Educators should be given time to learn to accept and to deal with learners with diverse educational needs. Negative attitudes can further be attributed to lack of awareness about inclusive education in the community, including teachers and principals, since they do not have knowledge of inclusive education. Negative attitudes can also be attributed to fear because educators feel that it will be difficult to teach learners with diverse educational needs without relevant teaching and learning resources. This is so because of the shortage of qualified personnel who should design materials that should be used in an inclusive classroom. Based on the above discussion, the following should be done: awareness campaigns about the importance of inclusive education should be carried out in the community, enough and relevant resources should be developed to help educators to teach in an inclusive classroom; educators should be trained about teaching in an inclusive classroom, and educators should be given enough time to learn about inclusive education.

2.11 SUMMARY

In South Africa, learners who had serious educational needs used to be registered in designated sites where special education was provided. While clustering learners with learning barriers may have helped the specialists’ schedules, it wreaked havoc on learners’ social lives because they were segregated and isolated from families, peers and classmates. They were offered limited occasions to learn how to belong because they did not spend time with siblings, peers and others. They spent every weekday with adults and others with disabilities. There is a need to develop a complete inclusive education which will enable learners with diverse needs to attend in the same classroom and use the same resources.

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As far as the development of inclusive education is concerned, countries neighbouring South Africa such as Lesotho, Namibia and Botswana are struggling to have a complete inclusive education system. These countries have played a crucial role in introducing inclusive education in schools since the Salamanca Statement issued by the United Nation. Botswana has decided to start with inclusion in the Baby care centre targeting children from diverse backgrounds and learners with diverse educational needs. In Namibia, children with diverse educational needs are offered education in a few special schools. There are still barriers that exist with regard to the education of children with diverse educational needs. Lesotho has embarked on inclusive education since 1987. All these countries, including South Africa, are interested in phasing in inclusive education countrywide but they are challenged by lack of resources, trained educators and large classes. These challenges seem to hinder their progress in terms of having one single education system.

Most countries are still operating on a two way system of education though they regard it as an inclusive system because learners are attending school with their peers. For instance, in South Africa, new schools that cater for learners with diverse educational needs were built after the Salamanca Statement was issued by the United Nations. Examples of such schools in South Africa are Fhulufhelo in Thohoyandou and Grace at Tshilapfene. All this implies that inclusive education is only on paper but practically it does not exist. Not all schools are implementing inclusive education because of inadequate resources that would help educators to teach learners with diverse educational needs.

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