Evaluating the effectiveness of the implementation process of the inclusive education policy in two schools in the Kavango East Region in Namibia

[摘要] ENGLISH SUMMARY : The schools in the Kavango East Region of Namibia are faced with challenges to comply with the inclusive education policy of (2013) because of the limited resources which are not equally distributed across all schools. The physical environments of the schools which were studied do not support some cases of learners with learning barriers and disabilities, e.g. learners with speech problems, learners with spelling problems, slow learners, learners in wheelchairs and blind learners, which make it difficult for schools to comply with some guidelines stated in the policy. The Namibian government has embarked on a journey to address the inequalities in the education system. The government replaced the former education system with a unified one to promote equality, justice, democratic participation and human dignity (Ministry of basic education and culture, 1992:24). Article 20 of the Namibian Constitution ensures that all children will have the right to education and that primary education is compulsory and free.There was a need to investigate the inclusive education policy which is currently being implemented as an intervention which addresses the issue of inequality in the education system. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the policy for inclusive education in two schools of the Kavango East Region to determine if it is being implemented effectively. The study aimed at answering the following question: How effective is the implementation process of the inclusive education policy in the selected schools in Namibia? The study adopted a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observation. The data was arranged into themes and reported on in narrative form.The findings show that the policy is not effectively implemented in the schools due to lack of resources. Furthermore, training was not conducted to cater for all the policy users. Schools are experiencing human and physical resources as stumbling blocks when it comes to policy implementation. The study revealed that some implementers are not aware of what the policy wants to address because they did not read the policy. Therefore, the study recommends training for teachers and other stakeholders to create awareness and educate them on the aims and objectives of the policy for inclusive education. There is also a need to provide more teaching and learning resources to support the schools in Namibia.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University