View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE
provided by Central University Of Technology Free State - LibraryCUT, South Africa
© Kamla-Raj 2015 J Soc Sci, 42(3): 289-297 (2015)
How to Overcome Challenges for Meaningful Implementation of Inclusive Education in Lesotho
T. J. Khoaeane and M. N. Naong
Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, 9300
KEYWORDS Lesotho Schools. Inclusive Education. Teachers. Challenges. Learning Impairments. Intervention Strategies
ABSTRACT This study explores the extent to which inclusive education is appropriately and adequately implemented in Lesotho schools. The study, which was conducted among 256 randomly selected teachers in the two districts of Lesotho, namely Lithabaneng and St. Bernadette, reveals a depressing picture. A semi-structured questionnaire with multiple Likert rating scales was used to collect data from the respondents. Teachers still find it difficult to deal with learners with various learning disabilities, while schools’ lack of suitable infrastructure compounds the problem for teachers. The findings show that 63 percent of the teachers bemoan a lack of proper training in order to deal with these learners with disabilities; no support material; and no sympathy from parents and authorities. This situation does not only impact negatively on the morale of these teachers, but also defeats the intentions of ensuring that inclusive education is executed in a manner consistent with government policies.
INTRODUCTION for those learners (Gambhir et al. 2008). In order to respond to the diverse needs of all learners, The face of schools in our evolving society the existing education system must be trans- is changing, and teachers must acquire skills in formed from a system of separate education (iso- working with learners who are academically and lating special education from regular education) physically disadvantaged. Teachers are the key into a single integrated system. Schoeman (2012) force in determining the quality of inclusion. and Swart et al. (2004) point out that, in practice, They can play a crucial role in transforming the creation of inclusive school communities schools or bringing about no change at all (Rob- requires attending to the rights of all learners; inson 2008; Swart et al. 2004). Schoeman (2012) shared responsibility among all school profes- states that since the passing of the Policy on sionals; changing organisational structures to Inclusive Education in South Africa in 2001, the promote collaborative decision making and cre- Department of Basic Education has introduced ative problem solving; and making the neces- numerous strategic steps to change the system sary changes in existing professional roles and so that all children can attend their local neigh- school practices. bourhood schools and be supported by teach- The successful accommodation of learners ers to access the curriculum. The principle of with special educational needs requires facili- inclusion seeks to achieve education for all by ties, infrastructure and assisting devices. Caus- restructuring schools as institutions that include ton and Theoharis (2013) point out that includ- everybody, support learning and respond to in- ing learners with special needs in regular schools dividual needs. Inclusion may require full-time remains a goal and challenge for most educa- placement of children with special needs in the tional systems around the world. Evidence sug- regular school with the aim of providing equiva- gests that the lack of relevant facilities and ma- lent educational opportunities and experiences terials is a major obstacle to the implementation of effective inclusion (Beyene and Tizazu 2010). Address for correspondence: Inadequate personnel training programmes is Prof. Tshedi (MN) Naong another problem of achieving inclusion in de- Department of Business Management veloping countries. Training programmes for Faculty of Management Sciences support personnel, such as educational audiol- Central University of Technology, Free State Bloemfontein, South Africa, 9300 ogists, psychologists, speech and language Telephone: (+27) 51 507 3217; therapists, and communication support work- Fax: (+27) 51 507 3869 ers, such as interpreters, are not available in many E-mail: [email protected] developing countries. Research has indicated 290 T. J. KHOAEANE AND M. N. NAONG that in China, support personnel such as voca- be regarded as a priority. Despite this, moves tional counsellors, evaluators and work place- towards the achievement of greater inclusion ment specialists are lacking in most of the edu- have been slow. Research indicates that under cational institutions serving learners with spe- some circumstances inclusion can be efficacious, cial needs (Fuchs 2010). The creation of inclu- yet many teachers remain uncertain with regard sive schools requires more than merely the im- to its implementation in their schools (Beyene plementation of new policies (Dagnew 2013; Ain- and Tizazu 2010; Schoeman 2012). The inade- scow 2004). Educational policies and financing quacies of the teacher training programmes, in arrangements should encourage and facilitate view of the lack of relevant materials and facili- the development of inclusive schools; barriers ties in the institutions in most developing coun- that impede movement from special to regular tries, and the concerns about the inadequacies schools should be removed; and a common ad- in personnel preparation programmes in devel- ministrative structure organised. The progress oping countries, are well documented (Beyene towards inclusion should be carefully monitored and Tizazu 2010). through the collection of statistics capable of This paper is prompted and premised on the revealing the number of students with disabili- fact that documentary evidence has revealed that ties (Ainscow 2004; Naylor 2005; Fuchs 2010). in Lesotho, teachers are not trained in inclusive Many countries have adopted policies in education and do not have the professional favour of early childhood education by support- skills needed for working or assisting learners in ing the development of kindergartens. Policy- the inclusive or mainstream class. There is fur- makers at all levels, including the school level, ther lack of support for teachers; for example, should regularly reaffirm their commitment to evidence demonstrates that there is a critical inclusion and promote positive attitudes among shortage of educational tools and equipment to children, teachers and the public as a whole meet the needs of learners who require special (Fuchs 2010). The future of educational provi- care in the inclusive classroom (Ministry of Ed- sion for pupils with special educational needs ucation and Training – Lesotho 2005). Studies can be seen to be central to educational debate of the attitudes of Zimbabwean school person- across Europe and the United States of Ameri- ca. Legislation in many countries has focused nel towards educating learners with special on the means by which the implementation of a needs reported negative teacher attitudes to- more inclusive education system can be achieved wards educating disabled learners in an inclu- (Beyene and Tizazu 2010). Considering the im- sive setting (Engelbrecht and Green 2007). Gam- portance of laws in the implementation of inclu- bhir et al. (2008) indicate that parents and sib- sive programmes in particular, and the provision lings, like disabled children, are subject to stig- of appropriate services for individuals with dis- ma, marginalisation and discrimination. Addi- abilities in general, it comes as no surprise that tionally, Causton and Theoharis (2013) contend inclusive education and other services for these that teachers find it very difficult to deal with individuals in many developing countries remain the increasing number of children with behav- in an embryonic stage due to the absence of ioural problems in mainstream classrooms. These mandatory laws and policies influencing the pro- children are disruptive in the extreme and the vision of these services. Evidence indicates that learning climate in the classroom negatively af- legislative guidelines covering special needs fects all the learners. The teacher’s lack of the provision are non-existent or antiquated in most necessary knowledge, skills and expertise to developing countries (Dagnew 2013). understand and assist these learners leads to Fuchs (2010) suggests that while the socio- frustration and feelings of inadequacy, which political and moral arguments for inclusion have disrupts effective teaching and successful learn- been well established, insufficient attention has ing. This situation gave rise to this paper, in- been given to the development of an understand- tended not only to determine the challenges with ing of classroom practices that are conducive to which teachers are confronted in their attempt creating an inclusive education system. The to implement the imperatives of inclusive edu- moral imperative for inclusion is clear and few cation in Lesotho, but also to explore and rec- teachers would deny the fact that a move to- ommend appropriate measures that are benefi- wards a more equitable education system should cial to teachers and learners. OVERCOMING CHALLENGES OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION 291
Unpacking Inclusive Education and its out the world, governments and many stake- Challenges for Lesotho holders advocate quality education and educa- tion for all (Ministry of Education and Training Inclusion is a process; we will never achieve Lesotho 2005). it completely, but we can try (Gambhir et al. 2008). In most countries in the western world, spe- Inclusive education is about changing and trans- cial schools have been established for the edu- forming the education system to accommodate cation of learners with special needs (MacBeath all children, regardless of their strengths or weak- et al. 2006). Fuchs (2010) states that the main nesses in any area, or whether they have be- problem is that some schools fail to specify ex- come part of the school community (Engelbre- actly how resources have been targeted to sup- cht and Green 2007). Furthermore, the major chal- port children with special educational needs. lenge of inclusive education is to satisfy the Engelbrecht and Green (2007) indicate that gov- needs of heterogeneous groups of learners in ernments in developed countries have begun to the classroom. Therefore, it is mandatory for all take responsibility for the education of children concerned stakeholders to seek solutions to with disabilities in the form of special education, misconceptions, wrong beliefs and social barri- which developed as a system parallel to main- ers encountered with current special needs edu- stream education. In Lesotho, however, more and cation practice in inclusive settings (Dagnew more learners with disabilities are being integrat- 2013; Tiruesew 2005). ed into mainstream classrooms without capaci- The Education White Paper 6 (2000) defines tated teachers to deal with this inclusion. MOET inclusion as an end process rather than a simply (2005) shows that in 2003, the pupil: classroom changed state. It is viewed as a process of in- ratio was estimated at 67:1 and the pupil ratio at creasing the participation of learners in, and re- about 46:1. The shortage of qualified teachers, ducing their exclusion from culture, curriculum as well as overcrowding in classrooms, is among and communities of local centres of learning. the factors that contribute to the low quality Inclusive education is a seemingly uncompli- and inefficiency of primary education. However, cated term that is often assumed to be the same while the total number of teachers increased in all contexts. Dagnew (2013) argues that there steadily, more than doubling from 4,139 in 1974 is no commonly accepted notion of inclusion, but rather a range of varieties of inclusion. He to 8,908 in 2002, the number of qualified teach- identifies inclusion as placement; inclusion as ers has not increased proportionately. The poor education for all; inclusion as participation; and quality of teaching and learning was revealed in social inclusion. In South Africa, inclusive edu- the Southern African Consortium on Measuring cation has been a human rights issue along the Educational Quality Survey carried out in 2001 way to creating a non-discriminatory society. and the baseline study on attainment in numer- Schoeman (2012) states that inclusive educa- acy and literacy carried out in 2003 (MOET 2005). tion involves the “practice of including every- Both studies reveal that the majority of pri- one irrespective of talent, disability, socioeco- mary school pupils in Lesotho do not attain the nomic background, or cultural origin in support- minimum expected level of competency at both ive mainstream schools and classrooms where grades 3 and 6. The role played by inadequately all students’ needs are met”. Thus, inclusive ed- trained teachers in this low achievement cannot ucation is about the values of community, col- be overstated. Schoeman (2012) recognises the laboration, diversity and democracy; a vision of growing need for teachers to understand and society and a road to be travelled. This said, it is assist learners with behavioural problems that an unending road, with all kinds of barriers, some act as a barrier to effective learning. In the past, of which are invisible and some of which are in learners were accommodated in schools of in- our heads and hearts. Implementing a more in- dustry and reform schools as places of safety, clusive model of schooling for pupils with spe- which were part of the specialised education cial needs requires the will to do it (Mukho- provided for learners. These learners have now padhyay et al. 2012; Williams et al. 2005). The to be accommodated in mainstream schools in movement towards inclusive education has its their communities, and they need to be provid- roots in different places; it can now be seen as a ed with a supportive and effective learning and response to a global social concern. Through- teaching environment (Schoeman 2012). 292 T. J. KHOAEANE AND M. N. NAONG
METHODOLOGY ly deeper into understanding the data; repre- senting the data; and interpreting the larger mean- Research Design and Sampling ing of the data (Salkind 2012). Neuman (2006) maintains that the charts, graphs and tables give Kumar (2005) defines research design as a plan, the reader a condensed picture of the data, al- structure and strategy of investigation to obtain lowing the reader to see the evidence collected answers to research questions or problems. In this by the researcher. A computer-aided statistical paper, the research approach followed was mainly analysis was used to compute the results of the quantitative and descriptive in nature. Quantita- study, employing the Statistical Package for the tive research is a numerical method describing Social Sciences (SPSS), version 14.0. Narrative observations of materials or characteristics (Sal- descriptions were also applied for the informa- kind 2012; Maree and Pieterson 2007). A self-de- tion obtained through observation and inter- signed, semi-structured questionnaire using a five- views to triangulate the results of the data col- point Likert rating scale was used to collect data lected through the questionnaire. from randomly sampled teachers. De Vos et al. (2005), MacMillan (2008) and Sarantakos (2005) Ethical Considerations define a questionnaire as a set of questions on a form which is completed by randomly selected re- Permission was first sought and granted by spondents for a research project. the relevant educational authorities prior to ap- proaching all the participating primary school Population and Sampling Size principals and before administering the ques- tionnaire. Participants were guaranteed confi- MacMillan (2008) defines population as a dentiality and anonymity, as well as voluntary group of individual persons, objects or items participation. from which samples are taken for measurement, while sample size refers to the number of partic- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ipants or objects which are used for research projects (Sarantakos 2005). The randomly se- In an effort to tackle and address IE chal- lected sample population of this study consist- lenges, it is common practice to find most schools ed of primary school teachers from the two cen- across the world adopting what Causton and tres of Lithabaneng and St. Bernadette in the Theoharis (2013) term Self-Contained Programs. Maseru District of Lesotho. A total of 400 ques- Either on its own or in collaboration with neigh- tionnaires were distributed, with 256 question- bouring districts or provinces, almost every pro- naires returned fully completed, yielding a re- vincial education department in most countries, sponse rate of 64 percent. including South Africa and Lesotho runs sepa- rate classrooms, separate programmes and even Instrumentation, Data Collection and Analysis separate schools for learners with disabilities. These programmes tend to serve learners with The questionnaire consisted of two sections: more significant disabilities who have more com- Section A focused on demographic issues, while plicated needs by placing them together in sep- Section B addressed attitudinal and perception arate rooms or buildings. While these pro- variables on the implementation of inclusive grammes claim to offer something individualised education in Lesotho. Section B included 29 for complicated learners, research has shown closed questions and one open-ended question, that the practices in these classrooms do not with the closed questions using a five-point Lik- individualise and result in higher teacher burn- ert rating scale ranging from: strongly agree (5) out rates; lead to low postsecondary employ- to strongly disagree (1), to assess the hypothe- ment; result in low rates of independent living; sis of this paper. The content and face validity lead to the over-representation of learners of of the instrument was ensured because respon- colour and those of low-income status; and rely dents were asked questions in their mother- on an increased use of physical restraint on learn- tongue that were familiar and related to their work ers (Causton and Theoharis 2013). experience. The process of data analysis in- The empirical findings of this paper report volves making sense out of text and image data. firstly on the biographical data of respondents, It involves preparing the data for analysis; con- which include: (i) gender, (ii) age group, (iii) ed- ducting different analysis; moving progressive- ucational level, and (iv) teaching experience. OVERCOMING CHALLENGES OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION 293
Table 1: Biographical data of respondents mean (2.1304) and the expected mean is statisti- cally significant, indicating that the teachers’ Demographic variables N = 256 Total sample = % attitudes towards the inclusion of disabled learn- ers in the regular classroom is positive. However, Gender Male 73 28.5 this reality does not discount the fact that even Female 183 71.5 though most of these teachers have positive atti- Age tudes towards inclusion, the dropout rates for 18 – 25 46 18.0 these learners is still a cause for concern. 26 – 30 13 5.1 From Table 3, a total of 113 respondents do 31 – 40 93 36.3 41 – 50 28 10.9 not understand what inclusive education is: Above 51 76 29.7 18.07 percent strongly disagree and 27.31 per- Educational Level cent disagree; 17.67 percent are not sure; while Below Grade 12 / Form 10 5 2.0 24.90 percent agree and 12.05 percent strongly Possession of only Grade 12 / Form 10 19 7.4 agree, to understanding what the term entails. Post-school teaching Teachers are the chief implementers of any edu- qualifications 202 78.9 cational policy. However, with such a sizeable Any other qualifications 30 11.7 number of respondents not understanding in- Teaching Experience Between 1-5 years 75 29.3 clusive education, there is still a long way to go Between 6-10 years 63 24.6 in terms of the successful implementation of in- Between 11-20 years 68 26.6 clusive education (IE) in Lesotho. This finding Over 21 years 50 19.5 concurs with the prevalent perception that many teachers in mainstream schools are not well Table 1 shows that more females (71.48%) than trained to help learners with special needs in males (28.52%) took part in this study. This find- Lesotho. Regarding the availability of teacher ing is congruent with that of Morolong (2007), development programmes, 12.45 percent and where it is indicated that generally, there are more 22.09 percent strongly disagreed or disagreed female teachers than males in primary schools. respectively. Those who neither agreed nor dis- The majority of the respondents were in the mid- agreed make up 13.65 percent. While 36.95 per- dle-age range (31-40 years), followed by the high- cent and 37 (14.86%) of the respondents agreed est age range (over 51 years old). This suggests that participants have had reasonable experience and strongly agreed respectively, it is clear that of dealing with children, thus enabling them to some teachers feel that the Ministry of Educa- answer the questions in an informed way. It is tion is not doing enough towards their develop- also evident from the findings that the most re- ment. The impact of this neglect is not only ad- spondents (79%) were not only adequately qual- verse for the schools where these teachers are ified with post-school qualifications, but also had working, but in the wider scheme of things, re- reasonable amount of teaching experience. sults in the failure to achieve the national imper- ative of ensuring that inclusive education is im- Classroom Teachers’ Attitude Towards plemented properly and successfully. The Inclusion of Learners with Moreover, the results show that 9.56 percent Disabilities/Impairments of the respondents strongly agreed that there are insufficient appropriate resources to sup- The findings in Table 2 illustrate that the port the curriculum within the inclusive class- observed t-results (8.111) for the aggregated at- room; 15.92 percent disagreed; and 11.95 per- titude of the classroom teachers at both centres cent neither agreed nor disagreed. An over- is greater than the t-critical value (2.000). This whelming 32.27 percent and 30.28 percent agreed implies that the difference between the observed and strongly agreed, respectively. Regarding the
Table 2: Mean scores, standard deviation and one sample t-tests of the regular classroom teacher’s response (n=256) No. of sample Expected Observed SD t-observed Df t-critical mean mean 256 2 2.1304 .31902 2.534 268 1.980 294 T. J. KHOAEANE AND M. N. NAONG
Table 3: Attitudinal and perception variables on the implementation of IE in Lesotho
Response items Rating of responses (%) SA=5 A=4 N=3 D=2 SD=1 Understanding of Inclusive Education (IE) 12.05 24.90 17.67 27.31 18.07 Availability of appropriate school programme for teacher 14.86 36.96 13.65 22.05 12.45 development The problem of resources to support the curriculum 30.28 32.27 11.95 15.94 9.56 The problem of timely distribution and allocation of learning 38.19 40.94 10.63 5.91 4.33 materials Buildings and playgrounds requiring significant modification 22.18 33.87 16.94 15.73 11.29 Supportive and effective school board 4.00 8.80 12.80 37.20 37.20 Presence of special teachers to help learners with special needs 8.63 18.43 12.94 31.37 28.63 Teacher’s preparedness for an IE classroom 9.16 17.13 12.35 31.87 29.48 Teachers are trained to deal with learners with auditory impairment 1.19 6.32 3.16 29.64 59.68 Teacher received training to deal with blind learners 3.23 8.06 6.45 26.65 55.65 Teacher received training to deal with sign language learners 1.98 8.70 9.49 33.20 46.64 Incorporation of inclusion education concepts in teacher training 8.37 12.75 28.29 25.90 24.70 curriculum Authorities are supportive to teachers, enabling them to cope with 8.59 23.05 16.80 24.71 26.95 IE demands
NB: SA stands for Strongly Agree; A stands for Agree; N stands for Neutral; D stands for Disagree; and SD stands for Strongly Disagree challenge of timely distribution and the alloca- this response, it can safely be inferred that the tion of learning material, findings show that 4.33 impact of this unsupportive culture is not only percent strongly disagreed with the statement; likely to adversely affect the effective delivery 5.91 percent disagreed; and 10.63 percent nei- and implementation of inclusive education im- ther agreed nor disagreed. However, a sizeable peratives, but also the morale of teachers. number, that is, 40.94 percent and 38.19 percent Concerning the availability of special teach- agreed and strongly agreed, respectively with ers to help students with special needs, the find- the statement. Late delivery of learning materi- ings indicate that 28.63 percent of respondents als can have a detrimental effect on the teach- strongly disagreed and 31.37 percent disagreed. ing-learning process. Resources, time and pro- The respondents who neither agreed nor dis- cesses promote continuous improvement in agreed amounted to 12.94 percent. The rest of teaching, learning and organisational life (Rix et the responses were positive (18.43% agreed and al. 2005). With reference to the need to improve 8.63% strongly agreed). Teachers have to jug- the classroom and school’s infrastructure, 11.29 gle many tasks and responsibilities at once, such percent strongly disagreed; 15.73 percent dis- as being psychologists, psychiatrists, and so- agreed; and 16.94 percent neither agreed nor dis- cial workers. Hammeken (2007) states that edu- agreed. The respondents who feel that their cators in a team situation must be able to listen school’s infrastructure requires a serious over- to one another, communicate effectively and haul formed the majority (33.87% agreed and hold common goals and expectations for stu- 22.18% strongly agreed). Most schools’ infra- dents. Collaboration is very important with co- structure is not suitable for use by learners with teaching; it is an interactive process that en- impairments. For example, there are no driveways ables teachers with expertise in various academ- for wheelchairs. In response to the statement ic areas to provide service to a group of learners “At my school, we have supportive and effec- with a wide range of needs. Whether teachers tive school board” the majority of responses have been trained and are skilled regarding in- were negative (37.20% strongly disagreed and clusive education, 29.48 percent strongly dis- 37.20% disagreed). The respondents who nei- agreed; 31.87 percent disagreed; 12.35 percent ther agreed nor disagreed made up 12.80 per- neither agreed nor disagreed; while 17.13 per- cent of the respondents. Only a handful of re- cent and 9.16 percent agreed and strongly spondents reacted positively: 8.80 percent agreed, respectively. Clearly, many teachers in agreed and 4.00 percent strongly agreed. Given Lesotho are not qualified to deal with children OVERCOMING CHALLENGES OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION 295 with special needs; thus, they cannot function strongly agreed. It is encouraging to note that effectively in an inclusive classroom. the Ministry of Education is creating opportuni- Furthermore, whether teachers are able to ties for teacher enrichment in inclusive educa- teach learners who have auditory impairments, tion, even though not all teachers are involved. 59.68 percent strongly disagreed; 29.64 percent Although these challenges may seem insur- disagreed; and 3.16 percent neither agreed nor mountable, it is not too late to identify, isolate disagreed. A minority of respondents (6.32% and implement appropriate measures to address agreed and 1.19% strongly agreed) claim to have them. received training with regard to these learners. Similarly, the responses to whether respondents CONCLUSION have training to teach blind learners using Braille, showed that 55.65 percent of respondents The findings of this paper reflect very sig- strongly disagreed; 26.65 percent disagreed; and nificantly on the challenges and opportunities 6.45 percent neither agreed nor disagreed. On available for learners, teachers, parents and ed- the other hand, 8.06 percent agreed and 3.23per- ucational authorities in Lesotho. It is evident cent strongly agreed. It is a point of concern that inclusion is a process, and not an end in that the majority of blind learners are still ex- itself, that requires constant, deliberate attempts cluded in mainstream classrooms. All schools and genuine effort. Since teachers are such an now need to recognise that failure to anticipate important human resource in transforming the the needs of students with disabilities may well education system, it is essential that an inclu- lead to unlawful discrimination (Rix et al. 2005). sive approach to teacher education is adopted. Additionally, Table 2 shows that only 1.98 per- Creating an inclusive school where all learners cent of respondents strongly agreed that they are acknowledged, valued, and respected, in- were trained to use sign language; while 8.70 volves attending to what is taught, as well as to percent agreed; and 9.49 percent neither agreed how it is delivered. Regrettably, the results show nor disagreed. The greater majority of respons- that many teachers in Lesotho schools are not prop- es were negative, as shown by 33.20 percent erly trained to help learners with special needs. who disagreed and 46.64 percent who strongly Yet, the successful implementation of any inclu- disagreed. This means that teachers face great sive policy is largely dependent on educators be- challenges in terms of teaching in an inclusive ing positive about it. Despite encouraging mes- classroom. If a learner has a severe hearing loss, sages from the Ministry of Education and Train- a sign language interpreter should be available ing (MOET) in Lesotho of committing to improv- to assist. The specialist provides a direct ser- ing the quality of primary education through the vice to the student and supplementary materials upgrading of teachers’ qualifications to at least to the general and special education teachers diploma level, there are couple of significant rec- (Hammeken 2007). ommendations that this paper makes that could When asked to specify whether teacher train- assist in overturning the current status quo in ing institutes incorporate the concept of inclu- Lesotho regarding Inclusive Education. sion in the curriculum, the respondents showed varied opinions on the issue, with 24.70percent RECOMMENDATIONS stating that they strongly disagreed and 25.90 percent that they disagreed. A further 28.29 per- The report reveals that the output of trained cent were not sure, while 12.75 percent of re- teachers from the Lesotho College of Education spondents agreed and 8.37 percent strongly (NTTC) and the National University of Lesotho agreed. This indicates clearly that in-depth (pre- have not been able to keep pace with the ever service and in-service) training is fundamental increasing need for qualified teachers, especial- for inclusive education to be fully functional. ly regarding Inclusive Education. Based on the The opportunities to attend inclusive education- findings of this study, the following recommen- related courses are not created by the Ministry dations are made: of Education. The feedback showed that 26.95 On-going teacher support and development percent strongly disagreed; 24.61 percent dis- is imperative for them to keep abreast with agreed; 16.80percent neither agreed nor dis- the latest developments regarding Inclusive agreed; 23.05 percent agreed; and 8.59 percent Education (IE). 296 T. J. KHOAEANE AND M. N. NAONG
Teacher training programmes offered, des- De Vos AS, Strydom H, Fouche CB, Delport CSL 2005. perately need to be overhauled. It is a known Research at Grass Roots. For the Social Sciences and Human Service Professions. 3rd Edition. Preto- fact that the secret of every successful class- ria: Van Schaik Publishers. room and school tends to focus on making Department of Education 2000. Education White Pa- learners feel welcome, secure and accepted, per 6. Special Needs Education – Building an Inclu- and on ensuring that they have friends sive Education and Training System. Pretoria: South Africa among teachers and other learners while Engelbrecht P, Green L 2007. Responding to the Chal- developing a feeling of belonging, positive lenges of Inclusive Education in South Africa. Pre- self-worth and success. toria: Van Schaik Publishers. A systemic approach can foster and guar- Fuchs WW 2010. Examining teachers’ perceived bar- riers associated with inclusion. SRATE Journal, antee a ‘buy-in’ from all stakeholders. The 19(1): 30-35. MOET has to embark on a project of Com- Gambhir M, Borad K, Evans M, Gaskell J 2008. Char- munity Based Rehabilitation (CBR) to acterizing Initial Teacher Education in Canada: achieve IE aims. A systemic approach en- Themes and Issues. Prepared for the International tails that Inclusive Education is implement- Alliance of Leading Education Institutes. Universi- ty of Toronto. Canada. From < http://www. oise. ed through the combined efforts of all peo- utoronto. ca/ite/UserFiles/File/CharacterizingITE. ple, their families, their organisations and pdf.> (Retrieved on 11 October 2014). the relevant government ministries, such as Hammeken PA 2007. The Teacher’s Guide to Inclusive health, education, and social security. The Education: 750 Strategies for Success. USA: SAGE. Kumar R 2005. Research Methodology: A Step by Step success of achieving its overall intention Guide for Beginners. 2nd Edition. London: SAGE. must be embraced and supported by all stake- MacBeath J, Galton M, Steward S, MacBeath A, Page C holders. It is for this reason that we argue 2006. The Costs of Inclusion: A Study of Inclusion for a deliberate systemic approach which Policy and Practice in English Primary, Secondary and Special Schools. Commissioned and Funded by would guarantee and yield better results for the National Union of Teachers. University of Cam- all concerned. bridge, Faculty of Education. Cambridge: Victoire Further research should be conducted, not Press. only to determine possible bottlenecks re- Maqelepo M 2008. Inclusive Education: The Way of the Future. International Conference on Education, garding effective implementation, but also 48th Session, 25-28 November 2008. Geneva, Swit- regarding the level of alignment between zerland. national IE policy imperatives, with the Maree K, Pieterson J 2007. First Steps in Research. school curriculum in the main. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. McMillan JH 2008. Educational Research, Fundamen- tals for the Consumer. USA: Pearson Education. REFERENCES Ministry of Education and Training Lesotho 2005. Education Sector Strategic Plan 2005-2015. Mase- Ainscow M 2004. Developing inclusive education sys- ru: BeePee Printers and Stationers (Pty) Ltd. tems: What are the levers for change? Journal of Morolong IP 2007. Impediments to Parental Involve- Educational Change, 6(2): 109-124 DOI: 10.1007/ ment in the Governance of Selected Primary Schools s10833-005-1298-4. in the Bloemfontein Area. Master of Education Dis- Beyene G., Tizazu Y 2010. Attitudes of teachers to- sertation (Educational Management), Unpublished. wards inclusive education in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Jour- Bloemfontein: Central University of Technology. Mukhopadhyay S, Nenty HJ, Abosi O 2012. Inclusive nal of Education and Science, 6(1): 89-96. Education for Learners with Disabilities in Botswa- Bucholz JL, Sheffler JL 2009. Creating a warm and na Primary Schools. SAGE Open April-June 2012: inclusive classroom environment: planning for all 1–9. From
Rix J, Simmons K, Nind L, Sheehy K 2005. Policy and the 12th World Down Syndrome Congress, August Power in Inclusive Education Value into Practice. 2012, Cape Town, South Africa. USA: Routledge Falmer. Swart E, Engelbrecht P, Eloff I, Pettipher R, Oswald M Robinson B 2008. Using distance education and ICT to 2004. Developing inclusive school communities: improve access, equity and the quality in rural teach- Voices of parents of children with disabilities. Edu- ers’ professional development in western China. The cation as Change, 8(1):80-108. International Review of Research in Open and Dis- Tiruesew T 2005. Disability in Ethiopia: Issue, In- tributed Learning, 9(1): 1-17. sight, and Implication. Ethiopia: Addis Ababa Uni- Salkind NJ 2012. Exploring Research. 8th Edition. New versity. Jersey: Pearson Higher Education Publishers. Williams DA, Berger JB, McClendon SA 2005. Toward Sarantakos S 2005. Social Research. New York: Pal- a Model of Inclusive Excellence and Change in Post- grave Macmillan. secondary Institutions. Making Excellence Inclusive. Schoeman M 2012. The Implications of the South Preparing Students and Campuses for an Era of African Inclusive Education Policy for Parents and Greater Expectations. Washington, D.C: Association Children With Down Syndrome. Paper presented at of American Colleges and Universities.