A call for greater social inclusion of learners experiencing barriers to learning took place at an international level (Le Grange & Newmark, 2002:84). Withdrawal from the MS class for additional LS is an international strategy of support. The Salamanca statement of UNESCO also confirms that inclusive education should address the lack of social inclusion in all its
45 dimensions, social, economic, political and cultural, at policy level and lead to the integration of the social inclusion objectives (UNESCO, 2012).
UNESCO (2012) also aims to bridge these gaps regarding social, economic, political, cultural and policy level by supporting countries that are members of UNESCO with implementation of inclusive policies and regulatory frameworks, through establishing institutional and human capacities of marginalized groups.
The Salamanca statement is the framework for special educational needs which was adopted at the World Conference on Special Needs Education in 1994 (UNESCO, 1994). Department of Education officials from South Africa were amongst the 94 nations who signed the Salamanca Declaration in 1994. These nations have a communal goal of making education available to all children (DoE, 2010:8). According to this framework, learners with special educational needs are entitled to extra support to ensure effective learning. Placing learners in special schools or special classes on a permanent basis should be the exception, if the MS classroom is unable to meet the child’s educational needs or for the welfare of the child or his peers (UNESCO, 1994:12).
The Salamanca Statement provides a continuum for LS, with guidelines which would ensure that learners are not excluded from the curriculum or school community (UNESCO, 1994:22). Rose and Shevlin (2004:160) also stress that educators should do more to give better opportunities for engagement of those learners who did not previously receive the standard opportunities. It is therefore important that these learners receive instruction in the same curriculum as the other children. All learners should be provided with the same education, however support should be provided for learners who require additional support (UNESCO, 1994:22). Apparently, LSTs in the Western Cape are expected to use methods and content from the prescribed curriculum. Following the UNESCO guidelines, support can range from minimal support in the MS classroom, additional LS programmes within the school or at another institution (UNESCO, 1994:23).
According to Muthukrishna (2002:1), learners in South Africa can be divided into two groups. The first group, to which the majority of learners belong, is those with ordinary needs, who according to this study will receive mainstream schooling, while the second group are those with special needs. Learners with special needs refer to learners with disabilities as well as learners with specific learning difficulties (Muthukrishna, 2002:1). The call for inclusion of learners who experience barriers to learning is due to the shift towards a more democratic country (Le Grange & Newmark, 2002:84). The learners with special needs require support and specialized programmes enabling them to learn. According to Muthukrishna (2002:1) there is a two education systems, one for MS learners and one for special needs learners. In South Africa a small group of learners are categorised according to their learning barriers.
46 They often do not have access to basic education as the education system does not respond to their specific needs (Muthukrishna, 2002:2). Engelbrecht, Forlin, Eloff and Swart (2002) argue that South Africa has aimed to form a single inclusive education system, meeting the needs of all learners, including those who are experiencing barriers to learning. However, Engelbrecht et al. (2002) stress that there has been an increasing demand for accommodation of learners with barriers to learning in MS classrooms, but this phenomenon has received very little consideration with regards to teacher training and support structures. Currently in South Africa learners experiencing barriers to learning can be found in MS schools, full-service schools, special schools and special schools resource centres (DoE, 2010:20). Special schools have been enabled to deliver a specialized education programme for learners who need access to a high-level of educational or other support (DoE, 2014:9). Special schools resource centres serve the same function as special schools, but has an additional function of providing support to ordinary and full-service schools (DoE, 2014:9). Some of these schools have human and physical resources available to expand the learners’ opportunities and enhance their achievement. These resources include teachers with specialized competencies and adapted or modified classes, which has been equipped to meet the needs of learners experiencing specific barriers to learning (DoE, 2010:20). Some MS schools in the Western Cape have LSTs with specialized competencies to support the learners experiencing barriers to learning. Nothing should prevent any learner from receiving instruction in the National Curriculum Statement with their age cohort. Social interaction with peers is important for social development and self-esteem (DoE, 2010:20). The researcher argues that withdrawal for LS will allow learners to be in the same class as their age cohort, but receive the specialised support on the level that they need outside of the classroom. This will prevent peers mocking them for being supported in coping with their work.
2.4.2.1 The reports of the National Commission on Special Needs in Education and Training (NCSNET) and the National Committee on Education Support Services (NCESS)
In 1997 the report of the National Commission on Special Needs in Education and Training (NCSNET) and the National Committee on Educational Support Services (NCESS) (DoE, 1997) challenged the existing conceptualization of special needs in South Africa. It pointed out certain key obstacles that restricted education for learners with special needs. These key factors include, but are not limited to an inflexible curriculum, inappropriate and inadequate support services at schools, and attitudes of various role players (DoE, 1997:11-19). According to Muthukrishna (2002:3), learners with special needs benefit on a social level from inclusion, but there is a need to adapt the curriculum. Muthukrishna (2002:5) continues to stress the importance of curriculum amendment in the success of inclusion, as she argues that curricula are the most significant barrier to learning which exclude learners both in
47 special and MS schools. Barriers to learning which stems from the curriculum include learning programmes, language of teaching and learning, learning style and pace, assessment methods and techniques, etc.
The NCSNET/NCESS (DoE, 1997) gives guidelines for the support team at school level. This support team was referred to as the institutional level support teams. However with the implementation of SIAS these teams were renamed as School Based Support Teams (SBST) (DoE, 2014:9). These teams should include educators with specialised knowledge of LS (DoE, 2003:39).
2.4.2.2 White Paper 6
The vision of the South African Education Department, as found in White Paper 6 (2001), is to develop an “education and training system which will promote education for all and foster development of inclusive education and supportive centres of learning that would enable all learners to participate actively in the education process so that they could develop and extend their potential and participate as equal members of society” (DoE, 2001:5).
White Paper 6 (DoE, 2001:24) acknowledges that all children can learn and that all children need support of some form. This policy also states that educational structures, systems and learning methodologies should meet the needs of all learners. The policy stresses the importance of changing attitudes, behaviour, teaching methods, curricula and the environment in order to meet the needs of each individual. The participation of all learners should be enhanced and barriers to learning should be minimized (DoE, 2001:25). According to this policy, strengthening of support services by the District-Based Support Teams (DBST) should address the needs of learners who experience barriers to learning. The DBST (§2.4.3.1) is a team of expert support personnel (including specialists such as psychologists, therapists, remedial teachers and health professionals) established by the provincial Department of Education to ensure that all schools have relatively easy access to the support services (DoE, 2003:19-22). District-Based Support Teams should give support in teaching, learning and management (DoE, 2001:28). Members of the district-based team, which include the LST, are expected to support teachers and learners in such a way that the full range of learning needs can be met. They should emphasize good teaching strategies which will be beneficial to all learners (DoE, 2001:19).
Furthermore, White Paper 6 states that District-Based Support Teams have to create posts for support personnel who are specialists with knowledge and experience. These posts are determined by the available funds (DoE, 2001:41). The researcher experiences first-hand that a lack of funding in many cases leads to the practice of one LST serving several schools. The main reason for the change in support services from remedial education to LS is because it is more cost-effective (DoE, 2001:41). LSTs are not school-based, but district-
48 based, in order for different schools to utilize their specialist knowledge and experience (DoE, 2001:39-40). Posts for LSTs are created by the District-Based Support Team. LSTs in these support posts can provide direct intervention programmes/LS and serve as mentors to teachers in the schools (DoE, 2003:19).