The Possiblities Offered by Inclusive Education in Addressing the Challenges of Urban Education

Abstract

Like most developing countries and some contexts in developed countries, despite innovative and imaginative policy interventions, South Africa’s urban education challenges are concerned with class, race and disability. With more than 20 years of democratic government, global economics, local policy implementation challenges and historical inequalities have created complex educational complexities for South Africa. The combination of these variables has impacted significantly on literacy and numeracy results, throughput rates, placement and support of children who experience barriers to learning as well as overall performance of the system. This paper contends that the ideology of inclusive education and practical interventions can create the conditions for success. This chapter argues that dual system thinking and practices should be replaced by an inclusive approach using barriers to learning as a framework for thinking. In transforming systems from special to inclusive education short shrift is paid to the development of a truly inclusive system. Often, old special education sections are responsible for the transformation resulting in separate systems mainstream and inclusive education remaining intact. It is important that theories, structures and practices change. Inclusive education thinking and practices should be at the centre of transformation not in within traditional special education components but within the central component of education thinking and practice. Inclusive education ideology must impact on every facet of thinking and practice for an education system to become truly inclusive. The result of relying on old special education sections to realize the transformation results in two systems competing with one another. This paper views inclusive education ideology and practices as crucial for creating a pedagogy of success. South Africa requires a pedagogy of success and that lies in developing an inclusive education system through changes in theory, assumptions and practices.

The aetiology of failure can be located within the deficiency approach. Locating individuals within the system and developing support mechanisms through sound systemic interventions could prove useful within the South African education system. All teachers, parents and related stakeholders should have an understanding of barriers to learning. The third world dynamics of South Africa makes it virtually impossible to replicate so called first world support systems. Generalist teachers through online and other human resource interventions, specialist teams, changing the role of special schools and developing as many full service schools as possible can reduce South Africa’s challenges considerably.