South Africa’s Inclusive Education and the Needs of Remedial Learners

South Africa has made a commitment to inclusive education. This means that whatever the challenges facing a student, they should be addressed at the school they attend. These could be physical impairments or mental challenges.

South Africa has not done well to achieve these goals. Almost 600 thousand students with challenges and disabilities are not integrated into the schooling system. This was according to research published in 2018.

Studies have shown that the steps taken to accommodate students in mainstream schools leave much to be desired.

Remedial needs were overall served better in remedial schools than in remedial centres

The schools that did try to implement remedial programs overlooked some key issues. For example, they ran remedial programmes at inconvenient times. Starting at 6:30am until 7:30am, and then from 3pm until 6:30pm, was a logistical challenge. Most of the students could not attend at these times, and that left those in need of the help unable to access the help offered.

Evidence suggests that most schools are unable to provide individualised support measures for students. They are also unable to accommodate the individuals in a reasonable manner when it comes to specific requirements.

What does a remedial school offer?

Remedial schools offer specialised help to the learners throughout the day. The teaching staff at a remedial school have the qualifications to address the needs of the children. Challenges that the children face can range from various levels of ADHD to cases of dyscalculia or dysgraphia. These are not conditions that can be addressed for an hour after school.

The students get the benefit of expert input and teaching in every class. It is not confined to an often-inconvenient time.

There is also no stigma. A student won’t find themself in the class that is labelled as the class for “different” pupils. All the learners in a remedial school are in the same boat. This alleviates issues of anxiety and social awkwardness, which are often compounded for the remedial learner.

All efforts to address individual student needs are to be applauded

All the steps to raise awareness of these conditions and to meet their needs are steps in the right direction. But remedial students will be best served in an environment geared towards meeting those needs as a priority, not a second thought.

Consider finding a remedial school for your children’s needs. It would be in their best interests.

Bibliography/Further Reading

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5442567/

https://journals.co.za/doi/10.10520/EJC-11538df385

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/188773324.pdf

https://japari.co.za/choosing-a-remedial-school-is-better/

http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-76822019000100040

http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002014000200003