Parents’ Experiences of Their Rights in the Implementation of Inclusive Education in South Africa

Abstract

Parental involvement was a driving and decisive factor in the development of inclusive education worldwide. In South Africa parents also became the advocates of the inclusive education movement in the 1990s, paving the way for parents to be involved in the decision-making process regarding the school placement of their children with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to focus on the way in which equity, individual rights and freedom of choice manifest itself in the implementation of inclusive education with specific reference to the way in which parents experience it. Results indicate that the inclusion of a child into mainstream education is a challenging and dynamic process that starts with the parents’ decision to place their child in a mainstream setting. In spite of legislation and the desires of parents, the development of inclusive educational practises in South Africa does not always reflect the values of equity and individual rights. Failure to establish collaborative and trusting relationships between teachers, parents and professionals poses a major challenge and can have a serious impact on the outcomes of inclusive education.

Knowledge and perceived social norm predict parents’ attitudes towards inclusive education

“…Parents of children with SEN are usually the ones who decide whether their child studies in an ordinary school or a special school (Engelbrecht et al 2005;Sin 2010). More importantly, the successful implementation of inclusive education requires the involvement of parents (Gasteiger-Klicpera et al 2013;Palmer et al 2001).…”

Evidence on inclusion and support for learners with disabilities in mainstream schools in South Africa: off the policy radar?

“…However, there are several critical reviews on the inclusive education policy, its development and progress in terms of implementation (e g. Muthukrishna and Schoeman 2000;Lomofsky and Lazarus 2001;Naicker 2005Naicker , 2007Engelbrecht 2006) as well as teacher attitudes (e.g. Bothma, Gravett, and Swart 2000;Engelbrecht et al 2003;Greyling 2009) and parent and professional attitudes (Engelbrecht et al 2005) -all of which shed some light on possible reasons for the dearth of evidence on children with disabilities successfully being included in mainstream schools. In other words, there are challenges and constraints which limit their participation, even their very placement into mainstream schools.…”

“…Pressures reported to prevent the inclusion of learners with disabilities into local mainstream schools are large class sizes, lack of funds for support staff and required services (Engelbrecht et al 2001;Eloff and Kgwete 2007), teacher stress (Engelbrecht et al 2003) and a general lack of collaborative and trusting relationships between teachers, parents and professionals (Engelbrecht et al 2005). The lack of a supportive learning environment at mainstream schools is also seen as a contributing factor, exacerbated by a complex new South African National Curriculum which teachers and students find difficult to engage with (Stofile and Green 2007).…”

Views of Inclusion

“…In South Africa, the voice of parents was silent for many years, and parental involvement was limited to fundraising by parent organizations at schools (Engelbrecht, Oswald, Swart, Kitching, & Eloff, 2005). With the emergence of a new democratic South Africa in 1994, the role of parents in the education of children with disabilities has changed dramatically.…”

“…The school administration's recognition of parents' and children's rights therefore plays a major role in the motivation, choices, and options regarding educational placement (Engelbrecht et al, 2005): A principal's remark to a parent that her child belonged in the school, even if she had to come in a diaper was "… you bring her. The school administration's recognition of parents' and children's rights therefore plays a major role in the motivation, choices, and options regarding educational placement (Engelbrecht et al, 2005): A principal's remark to a parent that her child belonged in the school, even if she had to come in a diaper was "… you bring her.…”