NAME : HM

SURNAME : NYAKANE
STUDENT NUMBER : *********
MODULE : INC3701
ASSIGMENT NO : 02
YEAR : 2022
QUESTION 1
1.1 Inclusive Education
Inclusive education is a process that is put in place to rid the schooling system of inequalities that
exist between learners who experience barriers to learning and the typical mainstream learner.
Instead of separating these learners, inclusive education recognizes them, both challenged and
not, as one community. It encourages the adjustment of classroom settings to accommodate
learners who are challenged so that they may be equally included in the teaching and learning
process. Inclusive education is about acknowledging and recognizing that not all learners will
learn at the same rate, or in the same ways. It is about adjusting the learning environment,
learning materials, support systems and teaching strategies so that all the learners in the
classroom will be given equal opportunity to learn despite the prevailing learning challenges of
some pupils. An important component in the equation towards successful inclusion in education,
is the teacher, who should be knowledgeable about the various barriers to learning in her
classroom so that she will be able to adjust her strategies and methods to transform her
classroom into an inclusive environment.

1.2.1 Critical Theory

The critical theory supports inclusive education. It questions and criticizes various norms that
dominate society, such as, ‘social structure and group culture and criticizes social injustice, racial
oppression, discrimination, and other social contradictions’ (Miles & Singal, 2009). With regards
to inclusive education, ‘critical theory examines how educational systems can successfully and
effectively provide education to all people, it recognizes that ‘every learner has the right to access
to education’ and that ‘every learner has different strengths and weaknesses;’ (INC3701; 001: 5)
Key principles of the critical theory
o Every learner has the right to access to education;

o Challenge social injustices and inequalities;

o Celebrates human diversity;

o Promotes human rights for persons with disabilities;

o Promotes peace by striving to eliminate, (INC3701; 001: 6)

1.2.2 African Philosophies
African philosophies in education support the notion of incorporating African realities,
experiences, cultures, languages and values into the education system, in the processes of
educating the African child about the world, within the African context. For example, when ‘using
indigenous knowledges as a tool to make Western science more accessible, moving from the
known to the unknown’ (Mawere, 2015 in INC3701; 002: 45). The successful incorporation of
these concepts into the education system, will simultaneously include the African learner in the
teaching and learning environment through the recognition of their culture, language, values and
experiences. African philosophies highlight issues as ‘cultural heritage, belief systems and values
that influence the way learners learn…these values include interdependence, communalism,
humanness, respect, and equal value of uniqueness of individual learners,’ (INC3701; 001: 7-8).
One of the core elements of African philosophies is the concept of Ubuntu, which means that a
person is who they are because of others. Ubuntu is about interdependence, cooperation, unity,
solidarity, dignity and humanness.
Sotuku & Duku (2016) identified the following Elements of Ubuntu and Principles of African
Philosophy

o Ubuntu values humanness, justice, personhood and morality, as well as diversity and
respect for human dignity.

o Ubuntu values interdependence and dependence – “It takes a village to raise a

child.” – requiring supportiveness, cooperation, and solidarity within the community.

o Ubuntu promotes a spirit of interconnectedness, social cohesion, respect and

dignity, collectivism and solidarity, communal enterprise and legitimate leadership.
This is closely linked to the promotion of shared values. Teachers should
therefore promote friendliness and harmony in their classrooms, and reconciliation
rather than confrontation.

o Ubuntu facilitates a spirit of compassion, hospitality and sharing especially towards

strangers. However, sharing is not limited to material things, as it includes knowledge
and skills. (INC3701; 001: 8)
1.2.3 Social Constructivism
Social constructs are concepts or labels developed by societies through social interactions. Social
constructivism, founded and developed by Lev Vygotsky in 1931, looks at ‘disability’ as one of
these social constructs. The concepts that support social constructivism are ‘the zone of proximal
development’, ‘social interaction’, and ‘scaffolding’, which are of the view that the classroom
environment can be rearranged and adjusted in order to cater for and manage learners who
struggle with disabilities. This can be done through policies, laws and teaching practices that will
make sure that there will be full access and participation in the classroom for every kind of learner
in the school environment. (INC3701; 001: 10)

Key Principles of Social Constructivism

• Culture and context influence learning;

• The pedagogic approach of active learning;
• Learners construct knowledge from their experiences, (INC3701; 001: 10)

1.3 Different epistemologies informing different theoretical assumptions in Inclusive Education

In inclusive education, epistemology refers to ‘the thinking behind inclusive education’ (INC3701;
001: 12). And in order for us to understand it, we study the different thinking or epistemologies
that have dominated, supported and underpinned inclusive education. There are three
epistemological perspectives; the ‘essentialist epistemology (Gary & Loxley, 2001); social
constructivist epistemology (Vygotsky, 1931; Wolfensberger, 1972) and rights based
epistemology (UNESCO, 1994) that have informed the different conceptualisation of inclusive
education,’ (INC3701; 001: 12).

The Essentialist epistemology t a ‘medical approach’ to inclusive education. Essentialists look at

children and separates them according to their abilities or ‘disabilities’ according to their
biological or physiological make up, what they can or cannot do. For example, the
‘institutionalization’ and separation of disabled or challenged individuals from the rest of normal
society and placing them in custodial care. This way of thinking laid the foundation for ‘exclusion’
because concepts such as ‘special schools’ and discrimination emerged. People with disability or
challenges were labeled as different, deemed ‘unemployable’ and excluded from being able to
make contribution to national and economic grown because they were locked up in institutions.
(INC3701; 001: 12)

The social constructivist epistemology looked at ‘disability’ as a concept created by society to

marginalize vulnerable groups. ‘Based on Vygotsky’s (1931) theoretical perspective, there was a
shift in perceptions about disability from a biological and deficit view to the view of disability as
a mere social construction,’ (INC3701; 001: 12). People began to question institutionalization,
and the ‘removal of people with disabilities from the cultural contexts to which they belonged
rightly’ (INC3701; 001: 13). Social constructivism brought about concepts such as ‘normalization,
mainstreaming and integration,’ (INC3701; 001: 13). ‘These concepts that entailed the steady
progression towards inclusive philosophy embody ways of establishment and/or maintenance of
personal behaviours and characteristics that are as culturally normative as possible (Rodina,
2007),’ (INC3701; 001: 13). In education, ‘normalization’ is when the ‘regular school system’ is
used to its maximum potential and ‘separate facilities’ are minimized, it speaks of ‘integration’
(INC3701; 001: 13).

Rights-based epistemology views education as a basic right for all regardless of background,
colour, gender, ethnicity, disability or social status. (INC3701; 001: 13). Previously, inclusion was
‘limited to including all people with different categories of disabilities’ but the right-base
epistemology gave birth to ‘wider definition embracive of diversity’ (INC3701; 001: 13). This
opened up ‘educational, vocational and other opportunities’ for people with disabilities and
challenges, which the concept of normalization did not include. (INC3701; 001: 13).
QUESTION 2
2.1
Progress in the implementation of inclusive education in schools has been quite slow. And in this
essay, I will provide a critical analysis of the policies related to Inclusive Education. I will also
discuss the various reasons why South Africa and various other countries like China are failing to
implement these policies.

Inclusive education was first introduced in South Africa through the ‘Wite Pater 6 on Special
needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System, 2001’ Policy (INC3701;
001:4). This policy, including the Salamanca Statement, and the Screening, Identification,
Assessment and Support, (SIAS) Policy, were drafted with the aim of ‘increasing the participation
of learners in and reducing their exclusion from the cultures, curricula, and communities of local
schools. It involves restructuring the cultures, policies, and practices in schools so that they
respond to the diversity of learners. Inclusion is concerned with the learning and participation of
all learners vulnerable to exclusionary pressures, not only those with disabilities or those
categorised as experiencing barriers to learning and development. It is concerned with improving
schools for staff as well as learners’ (INC3701; 001:4).

Successful implementation of these policies will mean that all learners in South Africa, regardless
of their barriers to learning, will have the equal opportunity to quality education afforded to their
peers in mainstream schools, but the ‘Report on the Implementation of Inclusive Education
revealed that many learners are still experiencing exclusion (INC3701; 001:4). The aim of the
Report on the Implementation of Education White Paper 6 on Inclusive Education was to give an
in-depth report on the progress that has been made at national and provincial level in expanding
the implementation of the Policy on Inclusive Education in the period 2013 to March 2015.
(Department of Basic Education, 2015). The report highlighted various challenges that persist and
continue to hinder much progress in the implementation of policies and legislation on Inclusive
Education in South Africa.
The report found that there is ‘incoherent conception and understanding of the strategic intent
and approach towards developing an Inclusive Education and Training System, as articulated in
the Inclusive Education Policy, at all levels of the system;’ (Department of Basic Education, 2015:
6). This means that nobody really knows how to go about achieving inclusive education in schools
because, although Education White Paper 6 ‘lays strong foundations that support the concept of
inclusive education’, its weakness is in that it ‘does not offer clear, practical pathways that schools
can follow to implement inclusive education. This has slowed implementation, and the progress
that has been made is not consistent across groups of learners or geographical areas’ (INC3701;
002: 68).

The second challenge noted in the report was that ‘there are disparities across provinces in
resourcing Inclusive Education and improving access to education and support for children with
disabilities, including personnel provisioning and finance (some provinces have no or very few
professional support staff appointed at district level and the building of new special schools
happens without accompanying planning for staff provision);’ (Department of Basic Education,
2015: 7). This means that there isn’t enough funding to initiate and implement the processed
required for inclusive education to take place on all levels of the department, including the
training and employment of professionals who will provide ongoing support in schools; and the
building or modification of schools to accommodate learners with special needs, such as ‘Ramps’,
‘lifts’, ‘adapted toilets’ for wheelchair access and tables in the classroom. (Department of Basic
Education, 2015).

The report also mentioned that implementation of inclusive educations continues to be

challenged because ‘there is no structured stakeholder engagement and partnerships to advance
the course of inclusion albeit changing attitudes towards disability’, (Department of Basic
Education, 2015: 7). This means that attitudes towards disability are still very negative and there
aren’t enough if any processes that have not been put in place to tackle learners, educators, and
the communities at large to change these attitudes. And because of this problem, the
implementation of inclusive education in schools will continue to be slow.
Another country where the implementation of inclusive education is very slow is China. The
Human Rights Watch 2013, found that ‘across China, children and young people with disabilities
confront discrimination in schools’, and that ‘mainstream schools deny many such children
admission, ask them to leave, or fail to provide appropriate classroom accommodations to help
them overcome barriers related to their disabilities. While children with mild disabilities are in
mainstream schools where they continue to face challenges, children with more serious
disabilities are excluded from the mainstream education system, and a significant number of
those interviewed by Human Rights Watch receive no education at all’ (Human Rights Watch,
2013: 1)

As a member of the United Nations, China is party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (CRPD) which states that ‘people with disabilities are not excluded from the
general education system on the basis of disability, and that children with disabilities are not
excluded from free and compulsory primary education, or from secondary education, on the
basis of disability’. It also states that ‘States Parties shall insure that: reasonable accommodation
of the individual’s requirements is provided’ (CRPD, Article 24(2a &2b)). But according to the
report compiled by the Human Rights Watch in 2013, China does not have ‘a clear policy’ on how
schools are to make the necessary adjustments and adaptations so that pupils with disabilities
and barriers to learning can be accommodated effectively. ‘In both policy and practice, the
mainstream education system is set up in such a way that the teacher’s focus is on students
without disabilities; it is the child with a disability who is expected to adapt to the system’. The
report also found in a classroom of ’30 to 60 students’, teachers are without extra support and
assistance; teachers and other members of staff do not have the necessary training or education
to deal with learners with disabilities; ‘there is also little incentive for teachers to provide support
to students with disabilities’ (Human Rights Watch, 2013: 3)

From the above analysis, we can surmise that the implementation of inclusive education is failing
in South Africa because of a lack of proper understanding by stakeholders of the procedures and
actions to be taken to successfully implement policies; there is a lack of funding for infrastructure
and training of professional support staff, and there are prevalent negative attitudes towards
disability that have not been dealt with. In China, the implementation of inclusive education is
failing because of a lack of clear policy and guidelines on how children with disabilities are to be
accommodated in schools; teachers don’t have support staff in crowded classrooms; teachers
and school staff don’t have the necessary training to handle disabled children; and there are no
incentives for teachers.

In conclusion, it is very clear to see that progress in the implementation of policies and legislation
on inclusive education has been quite slow. And the various reasons mentioned above, including;
lack of funding, negative attitudes and a lack of clear guidelines to go about the implementation
these policies, have been the main reasons why counties such as South Africa and China are
failing to implement inclusive education.

2.2 The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education;

• Recognizes ‘the necessity and urgency of providing education for children, youth and
adults with special educational needs within the regular education system’;

• Believes in the diversity of all, and proclaims ‘that every child has a fundamental right to
education’;

• Calls upon all governments to make the necessary adjustments and improvements to
their various systems of education to accommodate all children, including those with
disabilities, by making funds available and prioritizing the implementation of inclusive
education policies.

• Calls upon the international community to ‘endorse the approach of inclusive schooling
and to support the development of special needs education as an integral part of all
education programmes’; and

• ‘To strengthen their collaboration with the official national bodies and to intensify their
growing involvement in planning, implementation, and evaluation of inclusive provision
for special educational needs’ (Salamanca Statement, 1994)
2.3.1 Universal declaration of Human Rights (united Nations 1948).

• Everyone has the right to education;

• Education must be free at least in the elementary and fundamental stages, (INC3701; 001:
23).
2.3.2 Convention on the rights of the Child (United Nations 1989).

• All children have the right to a primary education, and wealthy countries should help
poorer countries to achieve this goal;
• Children’s education should develop each child’s personality, talents and abilities to the
fullest;
• Stands on the four core principles of non-discrimination, a devotion to the best interest
of the child, the right to life, survival and development and respect for the views of the
child, (INC3701; 001: 23-24).
2.3 3 World Declaration on Education for All (United Nations 1990).

• Basic education should be provided to all children, youth and adults;

• Basic education services of quality should be expanded and consistent measures must be
taken to reduce disparities, (INC3701; 001: 24).
2.3.4 Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for persons with Disabilities (United
Nations 1993).

• States should recognize the principle of equal primary, secondary and tertiary education
opportunities for children, youth and adults in integrated settings;
• States must make sure that education of persons with disabilities is an integral part of the
education system, (INC3701; 001: 24).
2.4 (marked as Question 2.5 in the study guide)
8 requirements for the advancement of social cohesion and democracy

• Education should be accessible for all citizens, not only for children and youth;
• Education and the world of work should be viewed as a complementary process, which
operates throughout the lifespan of an individual;
• Full-time, part-time and own-time education programmes should be developed in every
sector of education and be afforded equal status;
• Education should be viewed as a social process covering all learning that occurs both in
and outside the school;
• The right to learn should be assured to every individual, without any discrimination and
with full equality of opportunity;
• All learners should receive all the support and facilities to be successful;
• The non-formal sector, which has been neglected in the past, should be developed and
blended with the formal sector in an integrated fashion to create a
new system of education;
• The creation of a knowledge-based quality education system, economy and democratic
inclusive society are prerequisites for nation building, (INC3701; 001: 25).
QUESTION 3
3.1
When we speak about quality education, we are referring to an education of the highest
standard. When compared, the standard of education is therefore equal to that which is received
by others on the same level, and equally accessible to all regardless of barriers to learning or
disability. The South African government is committed in its mission to provide quality and equal
education to every learner in the country. This is evident in its support and recommendation of
inclusive education in most policies in South Africa. One of these policies and probably the most
important is the White Paper 6 of 2001 which gives the guidelines to bring and aid quality
education to every learner in spite of their unique characteristics or barriers to learning. (INC3701;
001: 32).

Quality education comes about when the education system, the learning environment and ways
of teaching and learning respond appropriately to the needs of every individual learner and the
rest of society. Which means that learners, regardless of their disability or barriers to learning,
will feel accepted, respected and safe in the learning environment. In order for teachers to be
able to provide quality education to all learners, educators must develop a positive mindset and
towards inclusivity. Teachers who do their planning well in advance and with great care
automatically show learners that teaching and learning should be taken seriously so that
outcomes will be achieved. (INC3701; 001: 32).

‘Quality education includes child-centred pedagogy, outcomes that cover knowledge, skills and
attitudes that are linked to national goals for education, positive participation in society and
environments that are healthy, safe, protective and gender sensitive and that provide adequate
resources and facilities for all children (UNICEF 2000),’ (INC3701; 001: 32). Teachers who develop
their ‘skills and knowledge’ concerning inclusivity and exhibit a positive and accepting mindset, ‘enhance
quality education to all learners,’ (INC3701; 001: 32).

In terms of ‘the Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO 2005)’, quality
education must be organised in a manner that will enhance learning and inspire learners to attain
their fullest potential in their emotional, thinking and creative abilities. My responsibility as a
teacher is to create a safe learning environment where all my learners will be stimulated and
motivated enough to ‘reach their full potential,’ in spite of their unique attributes. This learning
environment should continuously meet the needs of my learners, celebrate diversity, and
practice good values and responsibilities. ‘Learners ask questions freely, accept challenges,
demonstrate a high level of self-esteem and understand the value of working and living together
(Canada South Africa Teacher Development Project (CSATDP), 2005),’ (INC3701; 001: 32-33).

3.2
Describe strategies to achieve quality education through the implementation of Inclusive Education.
• Creating a safe learning environment for all learners.
• Get to know my learners as individuals and keep the diversity of their needs in mind at all
times.
• Promoting diversity and celebrating differences in the classroom.
• Using various teaching strategies to cater to the needs of all my learners.
• Present learning materials in various formats to cater for everyone.
• Giving all learners the chance to contribute to the teaching and learning process.
• Encouraging all learners to strive to reach their fullest potential regardless of any existing
learning barriers.
• Eradicating negative attitudes towards disability in schools by promoting values of
equality and ubuntu.
• Getting parents involved in activities to expose them to the benefits of having all children
learning in the same environment.
• Practice inclusion in all aspects of teaching and learning.
3.3 Principles of Inclusive Education.

• Acknowledging that all children and youth can learn and that all children and youth
need support;

• Enabling education structures, systems and learning methodologies to meet the needs
of all learners;

• Acknowledging and respecting differences in learners, whether due to age, gender,

ethnicity, language, class, disability, HIV or other infectious disease;

• Broader than formal schooling and acknowledging that learning also occurs in the home
and community, and within formal and informal settings and structures;

• Changing attitudes, behaviour, teaching methods, curricula and the environment to

meet the needs of all learners;

• Maximising the participation of all learners in the culture and the curriculum of
educational institutions and uncovering and minimising barriers to learning, (White
Paper 6, 2001: 6-7).
BIBLIOGRAPGY

1. Department of Education, Report on the Implementation of Education White Paper 6 on

Inclusive Education, South Africa, 2015.

2. Department of Education, WHITE PAPER 6: Special Needs Education, Building an

Inclusive Education and Training System, 2001.

3. Human Rights Watch, “As Long as They Let Us Stay in Class” Barriers to Education for
Persons with Disabilities in China, United States of America, 2013.

4. United Nations, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Article 24,
2006.

5. UNESCO (1994). Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs
Education. Paris: UNESCO.

6. INC3701, 001 Study Guide, UNISA, 2020.

7. INC3701, 002 Study Guide, UNISA, 2019.