Political Factors

The three subthemes that constitute the theme of political factors are the roots of inclusive education (IE), one-sided change and the failing of the system.

5.2.1.1 The roots of inclusive education

The majority of participants indicated that they perceived inclusive education as a political endeavour of the newly elected government to "save money and to force

down equality" (Participant 7). There seems to have been a perception among the

participants that inclusive education in general has its roots in political discourse. There was consensus between the participants from all three schools that inclusive education was an invention of the newly elected government.

"there wasn't enough money to pay for special needs places where these

children could get the best help and the most help, so therefore they said you know all government schools must take everybody." (Participant 7)

"... the constitution says that we are not allowed to discriminate so discrimination would mean discriminating against someone who has been told that they're unable to function in the main stream ..." (Participant 11)

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Most participants believed that there was a direct relationship between the 1994 elections and inclusive education. Most of them had not heard of the Salamanca agreement and the international movement towards inclusivity.

"… after the election, they had to, pretty much restart from scratch." (Participant 7)

"Well, playing around with having different education systems, um, discriminated against different children and so – black, white, coloured discrimination – and so now they're trying to get rid of any of that kind of discrimination at all and in the process they can't discriminate against blind and deaf and learning disabled and physically disabled and Asperger's or whatever it would be." (Participant 11)

It became clear that the perceived causal link between the 1994 elections, in other words, the change that transpired in the political arena in SA, and the implications it had for the education system is not perceived as positive. Participant 7 stated:

"… after the elections it was just ridiculous and everything was falling

apart in terms of the majority of schools, ..." (Participant 7)

"Well, the 1994 elections was the spark that changed every type of way of thinking of most South Africans so that included being in inclusive schools …" (Participant 4)

5.2.1.2 The system failed

Most of the participants voiced the expression that the "system has failed":

"But I think where the government and the system is failing learners with barriers is that they're not getting the systems needed." (Participant 7)

"… they really struggled here - they were the tail, uh got involved in drugs, um, the reasons that they left xxxxxx – to play sport and things like that … It didn't materialise and so … I don't believe that we actually did them justice. I think we failed them …" (Participant 11)

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"The system failed them. And, because I am part of the system, I felt like I

failed them too …" (Participant 4)

Participant 11 felt that the dismantling of special schools as they were before the election had been a mistake:

"… And then, slowly, but surely, uh, I can't remember when it was, probably '98, '99, 2000, when all the schools started closing – the industrial schools started closing - we landed up getting a lot of conduct disordered kids and children with behavioural problems, as opposed to learning problems and the kids with the learning problems fell apart– or they landed up having a whole lot of behavioural issues, as opposed to the learning problems coming in and so there are not too many places where kids with learning problems can get put."

(Participant 11)

5.2.1.3 "Politicisation" of IE

"Ek dink die probleem is juis onder andere dat baie van die terme totaal in Suid-Afrika verpolitiseer is. So ons interpreteer dit baie eng en dan verloor 'n mens 'n groot deel van die betekenis en dan die waarde van daai werk. So, in 'n sekere sin, inklusiwiteit, as dit kom by leergestremdhede byvoorbeeld, verloor ons 'n deel daarvan, omdat dit alles so politiseerd is …" / I think that the problem is among others that many of the terms have been totally politicised in South Africa. So we interpret it very narrowly and then a person loses much of the meaning and then also the value of that work. So, in a sense, inclusivity, when it comes to learning disabilities for instance, we lose a part of it, because everything is so politicised …" (Participant 2)

Naicker (2006, p. 2) confirms this point by stating, "ten years after democracy the claim be made here is that South African policy related to inclusion and access to a single Revised National Curriculum Statement stop short of a pedagogic revolution and is stuck at a political level since it ignored epistemological issues in the training of educationists". He continues by saying that, in South Africa, it is common knowledge that bureaucrats and public service government officials do not examine "knowledge itself, it origins and nature", and that the "majority of personnel who join the government departments are not employed to train" (Naicker 2006, p. 2).

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According to him, the conceptualisation, production of knowledge, training and orientation, monitoring and evaluation concerning IE and the Revised National Curriculum Statement (Department of Education, 2003) were left to the bureaucrats. It therefore has been difficult to train and orientate others if one does not understand "epistemological issues and how they impact thinking, practices and transformation in general" (Naicker, 2006, p. 2). He concludes that the "insecurity concerning training", as well as the lack of knowledge, have led to "routine and control, instead of being open, reflective, and critical and create new meaning" (Naicker, 2006, p. 2).

The above-mentioned three subthemes were grouped together to constitute the theme political factors. From 7 to 10 June 1994, the government of Spain, in co- operation with UNESCO, held a conference in Salamanca, and the Salamanca Statement of Principles, Policy and Practice in Special Needs Education and a Framework (UNESCO, 1994) was adopted by different international representatives. Senior education officials, administrators, policy makers and specialists, as well as representatives of the United Nations and specialised agencies such as other international governmental organisations, nongovernmental organisations and donor agencies, came together to inform the principles of inclusion and contributed to the agenda for achieving education for all and "for making schools educationally more effective" (UNESCO, 1994, p. 3). The Salamanca Statement therefore represents a worldwide consensus on the direction of special needs education and the movement toward education for all, "particularly those who are most vulnerable and most in need" (UNESCO, 1994, p. 3).

In the same year, South Africa entered a new era after the elections, democracy was introduced and a socio-political shift took place that emphasised values such as equity, non-discrimination, freedom from discrimination, respect and social justice. The framework also was provided for the Constitution (Swart & Pettipher, 2011, p. 18). Policy documents and subsequent legislation related to inclusive education reflected these values (Swart & Pettipher, 2011, p. 18).

It thus would seem as though this theme of political factors reflects misperceptions regarding the move towards IE in SA among the participants in this study. Ignorance of international emphases on inclusion principles seems to have resulted in skewed

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views, including blaming and ascribing IE to serving political ideologies rather than universal principles of human rights.