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Cited by 105Inclusive Education and DiversityCollaborative Teaching and InclusionEducation Pedagogy and Practices

The challenges of inclusive education and its implementation in schools: The South African perspective

Open access
Mpu, Yolanda, Adu, Emmanuel O.·2021·Perspectives in Education
DOI 10.18820/2519593x/pie.v39.i2.16
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Abstract

Inclusive education is the term used to describe an education system in which all learners are accepted and fully included, educationally and socially. The process of inclusion proves to have challenges in developing countries such as South Africa which adopted it a bit later than the developed countries. Research has mentioned that amongst other challenges is the lack of resources and overcrowding. Hence, this paper debates and discusses the challenges in the implementation of inclusive education in South African schools. The study was designed as a multiple case study research in which a qualitative research approach was employed. Three schools in the Buffalo City Metro and three participants per school participated in the study. Qualitative data analysis was grounded on an interpretive philosophy. The findings revealed that overcrowding, insufficient training, lack of knowledge and skills of educators were the overarching themes that resulted in educators feeling a sense of inadequacy to teach in an inclusive education classroom. The study will cover the challenges faced in the implementation of inclusive education. Therefore, the study recommends that inclusive education should cater to all learners irrespective of the type of disability.

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49 of 49 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • In South Africa, many special needs learners find themselves in mainstream classrooms, and teachers are expected to adapt curriculum for the inclusive education needs of their learners.

    “In South Africa, many special needs learners find themselves in mainstream classrooms, and teachers are expected to adapt curriculum for the inclusive education needs of their learners (Mpu & Adu, 2021).”

    From Using LEGO® Six Bricks® as an educational resource to address challenges pre-service teachers face during school-based teaching practice (2025) · cites this paper as Mpu & Adu, 2021

    Section 6.4 discusses learners with disabilities in mainstream schools, and section 6.2 says educators need skills to adapt the curriculum to varied learning needs. The paper does not establish that many such learners are in mainstream classrooms; section 6.1 instead says most learners with barriers to learning who attend school remain in separate special schools. No page number is available for these passages in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • Existing open-education resources for using Six Bricks in a Foundation Phase classroom focused on mainstream activities related to the national curriculum in numeracy, literacy and life skills.

    “Existing open-education resources for using Six Bricks® in a Foundation Phase classroom focused on mainstream activities related to the national curriculum in numeracy, literacy and life skills kills (Mpu & Adu, 2021;Schuelka et al., 2020).”

    From Using LEGO® Six Bricks® as an educational resource to address challenges pre-service teachers face during school-based teaching practice (2025) · cites this paper as Mpu & Adu, 2021

    The section on challenges faced by students in mainstream schools discusses shortages of teaching materials and assistive devices, not Six Bricks resources. Searches for Six Bricks, Foundation Phase open-education resources, and curriculum activities in numeracy, literacy and life skills found no passage addressing the claim in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Cites

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1 of the 50 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Bigham, T. 2010. Do teachers have a negative attitude towards the inclusion of students with special needs? Unpublished master thesis. USA: Ohio University.
  2. 10066abstract · DOI
  3. v37n1a1226 · DOI
  4. Engelbrecht, P. & Muthukrishna, N. 2017. Inclusive education as a localised project in complex contexts: A South African case study. Southern African Review of Education, 25(1): 107-124. 2021 39(2): 236-238 http://dx.doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v39.i2.16 Perspectives in Education 2021: 39(2)
  5. Galabuzi, G.E. 2004. Social exclusion. In D. Raphael (Ed.). Social determinants of health: Canadian perspectives (pp. 235-251). Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press Inc.
  6. Mkandawire, M.T., Maphale, S.P. & Tseeke, M.R. 2016. A comparative assessment of special education situations between Lesotho and Malawi. International Journal of Education and Research, 5(4): 171-183.
  7. Mpu, Y. 2018. Educators' perceptions of inclusive education for learners with physical disabilities. Unpublished PhD thesis. East London: University of Fort Hare.

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Authors
Mpu, Y., & Adu, E. O.
Affiliations
University of Fort Hare (ZA)
ORCID
Venue
Perspectives in Education
Publisher
University of the Free State
Published
2021-06-11
Volume
39
Issue
2
Pages
225-238
ISSN
  • 0258-2236 (ISSN-L)
  • 2519-593X
DOI
10.18820/2519593x/pie.v39.i2.16
OpenAlex
W3189400057
Cited by
105
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 1
FWCI
18.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Perspectives in Education (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Inclusive Education and Diversity
  • Social Sciences › Education › Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education Pedagogy and Practices
Keywords
inclusive education, implementation barriers, school overcrowding, teacher professional development, disability, South African schools

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