General

Exclusion/placement of learners with multiple/profound learning, physical barriers in relevant schools.

schoemanm — 2009-12-01T19:27:05Z

Special schools must accommodate all learners with high and very high support needs. Currently too many children with moderate support needs who could have been included in mainstream schools are admitted to special schools. The National Strategy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (2008) aims at introducing new procedures and criteria for who are eligible for admission to a special school. Provincial Departments of Education have the responsibility to manage and monitor admissions to special schools. In terms of the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) no learner may be refused without permission of the provincial Head of Department. Parents have a right to appeal. See also Chapter 5 of the Guidelines to Ensure Quality Education and Support in Special Schools and Special School Resource Centres (2007)

Curriculum Review and Inclusive Education

schoemanm — 2009-11-30T08:12:07Z

In the Message by the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, about the steps being taken by the Department to improve the quality of learning and teaching in South African Schools, it is clear that there is a commitment towards Inclusion in all aspects of curriculum delivery. See the following important quotations from the message:

"We are striving to achive quality education for all, inclusive of learners who are vulnerable and experience barriers to learning" p. 2

"The Teacher's file will contain information on any intervention that is planned by the teacher to assist learners especially those who are experiencing barriers to learning" p.3

"The annual work schedule will indicate which adapted resources will be needed", p. 3

"In formal assessment, teachers should factor into their planning any additional support needed by learners who experience learning difficulties", p. 4

"Informal assessment most critically informs the teacher on where learners are experiencing difficulties and what early steps should be taken to assist learners to overcome thes challenges", p. 5

" Textbooks must accommodate learner diversity and be made available in accessible format, e.g. in Braille, large print or audio text." p. 6

These statements and many more clearly indicate that inclusive education becomes the responsibility of all teachers and of the system as a whole.

To see the full text of Curriculum News visit the Website of the Department of Basic Education at

http://www.education.gov.za/Content/documents/curriculum%20news%20newsletter.pdf

Inclusive Education and National Curriculum Statement

schoemanm — 2009-07-09T01:12:10Z

credit auto

Thanks so much for sharing the post.

SPECIAL SCHOOL ACCREDITATION

schoemanm — 2009-06-08T09:15:00Z

The guidelines! That is a good move,

because:

"Curriculum often creates a barrier in learning, i.e. with regard to the use of formal, informal, and hidden curricula."

I trust that with the guidelines, the Department of Education would be giving possible answers/plans in ensuring that educators are well conversant/positioned with matters that relate to Inclusive Education when using National Curriculum Statement and Inclusive Strategies in the classrooms.

However, will enough training, continuos support and regular monitoring be given to the educators to avoid barriers to learning?

learning from other countries

saivayrynen — 2009-03-01T19:22:42Z

Thanks, the SABC 2 Inclusive Education slot has managed to educate more people. I really appreciate the fact that the Finnish Government funded the officials to visit Finland, but I still maintain that we need to have strong network with the African countries. Not all educators have access to the internet. It will make sense if we can have exchange programs, for people to understand that you can still make a difference in the child's life, without expensive resources, most of the time all what you need is a positive attitude.

learners who need moderate level of support in the full service and mainstream school

schoemanm — 2009-03-01T18:45:36Z

Thanks Marie for the explanation. My concern is that if it is left to the provinces to take this responsibility, some provinces will never be able to implement that successfully. So my humble request is to have the full guidance and support of National DoE.

Exclusion and school violence

schoemanm — 2008-08-21T04:45:05Z

In the past few days, South Africa was shocked by an extreme case of school violence that took place at a school in Krugersdorp in Gauteng. Although the press is reporting widely on all the possible causes that could have contributed to this act of violent behaviour by an 18 year old boy, a recurring thread is emerging out of all the accounts, namely that the boy had felt excluded and had been bullied over many years. In an article published in Beeld on 21 August, the parents of the boy tell about the unhappiness of their son - "Ons seun is geboelie' ('Our son has been bullied')

Although it is not always easy for schools to deal with the various challenges that teenagers face, one can ask the question whether enough attention is devoted to creating a culture of care and support at schools where everyone is made to feel welcome.

Read a short guideline about Creating Welcoming School Cultures.

Effective Curriculum Differentiation

maxie links — 2008-08-07T12:21:32Z

Dear Anna,

Read the history of the development of "Education White Paper 6: Special Needs Education - Building an Inclusive Education and Training System" on this website under History of Policy Development.