Experiences of technical vocational education and training college lectures with students living with spacial learning needs in a mainstream classroom context in Kwa-Zulu Natal

Abstract

The right to education is optimally and deeply embedded in the South African Constitution. This includes people with special learning needs and other disabilities. TVET colleges, however, experience a myriad of challenges with inclusivity. Even though there have been some interventions, numerous challenges still plague the system. This study encapsulates the experiences of TVET college lecturers with students with deficits in learning capacity. The study was conducted at three campuses in the uMgungundlovu district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and exposes the struggle that exists with the understanding and accommodating students with special education needs. Lecturers’ experiences expose the dire consequences emanating in mainstream classes. The focus of the study was to gauge the lecturers’ experiences through a qualitative approach using an interpretivist paradigm. Interviews and observations were conducted to obtain primary data. Literature pertaining to the study was examined intensely and data was collected and analysed. A semi-structured interview guide was used for the senior management and lecturers which reveals the concerns of lecturers who have not been trained in the area of inclusive education and exposes the limitations of TVET colleges. Classroom observations were conducted to ascertain engagement with students. Interviews were conducted with three senior management officials, three campus managers and twelve lecturers. Major concerns emerged regarding the readiness of colleges for special needs students, including the inability to assist students, a highly skewed curriculum, a lack of support structures, an inability to implement basic inclusive policy, and lecturers that are overloaded with paperwork which is stressful. Lecturers clearly stated that they were ill-prepared to take on special needs students and cope with their workloads, leaving students to cope by themselves. What is evident is that the views and perceptions that emerged indicated a lack of focus on inclusivity which leaves an indelible negative mark on the proper implementation of inclusive policy in the mainstreaming of students. Recommendations have been made to propose a number of viable solutions and a comprehensive framework has been designed for consideration to facilitate proper implementation of inclusivity and accountability within the TVET college.