I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Nelson Mandela Today as we celebrate Mandela Day 2018, we share a recent interview, with our director Bertha Magoge, in which we discuss and advocate that all children should be taught to appreciate the beauty that lies in diversity. Listen to the podcast from Cape Talk Radio here
IESA is proud to announce that it launches its first ever periodical, Inclusion In Education - Perspectives on Inclusive Education in South Africa. This initiative was developed in order to establish a credible journal, in which research findings and examples of good practice would be made accessible to a wide range of interested education stakeholders. IESA sought to contribute to the inclusive conversation and share perspectives about in inclusive education in South Africa. This periodical will be issued twice a year. Find your first issue here: Inclusion in Education - Perspectives on Inclusive Education in South Africa
South Africa’s Inclusive Education Policy is built on the belief that all children can learn and benefit from learning together at their local school. Schools that take a supportive approach to teaching and learning make this inclusive learning experience possible. IESA FACTSHEET: INCLUDING A CHILD WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT IN A MAINSTREAM SETTING Please feel free to download and share – if you have any questions or enquiries please contact us at info@included.org.za
South Africa's Inclusive Education Policy is built on the belief that all children can learn and benefit from learning together at their local school. Schools that take a supportive approach to teaching and learning make this inclusive learning experience possible. IESA FACTSHEET: Including a Learner with Cerebral Palsy in a mainstream setting Please feel free to download and share – if you have any questions or enquiries please contact us at info@included.org.za
As we come to the end of child protection week, the daily headlines remind us of our education system’s responsibility to do more to ensure the safety and security of our children in schools. Over the past few months, we have seen the death of another young learner falling in a pit latrine, the South African Human Rights Commission holding public hearings into the deaths of 3 learners in a special school hostel fire and countless reports of knife attacks, gang fights and ongoing corporal punishment in schools. Violence in schools is a significant barrier to learning and is one that effects an alarming number of South African children. Inclusive Education South Africa was visiting a school in Cape Town during exams when shots rang out. Learners screamed in terror…
My name is Emily Zawe and I have type 2 Osteogenisis Imperfecta (brittle bones disease). To date, I have had 47 fractures and 10 surgeries. Growing up with Osteogenisis Imperfecta has been a difficult task to achieve but I’ve made it this far as strong as ever and this is my story….. so far. I was diagnosed with Osteogenisis Imperfecta when I was 18 months old. My family and I were forced to relocate to South Africa for better treatment which I receive from Steve Biko Hospital. At age 3 I started attending school at Balo and Friends Crèche. As a pre-scholar barely out of the toddler ages it was pretty rough. I was not allowed to run jump or climb jungle gyms because of the fear of falling and…
Today we have the privilege of sharing a story from a mothers heart. Her trials, her triumphs, her strengths and her challenges. We met Tamara Zawe a few months ago through our Information and Communication programme and what was most memorable about the conversation is that our programme officer ended up feeling more inspired after having spoken to Zamara! We trust that as we have just finished celebrating mothers day this past week, that you would be inspired as this story touches on various challenges and thoughts that countless mothers encounter in our country when standing in the gap for their children with diverse needs. Emily Zawe is a young lady aged 15 years old born in Zimbabwe on the 30th of January 2003, diagnosed at about eighteen months with…
Children with Down syndrome can find reading, number work, physical activities and language processing challenging, but with the right support they will make progress. We hope that this Factsheet will help in assisting and giving guidance around supporting these learners. Click here to access the fact sheet.
Today, five members of the Right to Education for Children with Disabilities Alliance (R2ECWD) took our fight for access to quality education for all children all the way to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities in Geneva. Though inclusive education is a right “ultimately, segregation remains the prevailing attitude towards education for children with disabilities” in South Africa, we told the Committee. Leading R2ECWD’s submission, Robyn Beere the Director of Inclusive Education South Africa emphasised the urgency and depth of the crisis in inclusive education in South Africa: “Systemic transformation of the general education system has not been achieved and urgent attention must be given to the drastic improvement of quality education in all schools children with disabilities currently attend. Children with disabilities, particularly in rural…
When President Cyril Ramaphosa presented his first State of the Nation address in Parliament on February 16, he called up the memory of the recently deceased music legend Hugh Masekela and invited South Africans to “lend a hand”. Social media was alive with requests for the president to #SendMe, in response to this moving call. Unfortunately, children with disabilities, their parents and disability rights activists have not received Ramaphosa’s promises with equal optimism. We have become numb to winning slogans and passing references to children with disabilities’ plight in political speeches. We have also learnt through bitter experience that no slogan or symbolic gesture can replace the systematic overhaul of the basic education system that is required to ensure an inclusive education for all children. To continue reading the article as…
