Making learning support contextually responsive

Research indicates that the success of inclusive education lies within the provision of adequate support for learners who experience barriers to learning in mainstream schools as well as in the changing roles of teachers and support services staff. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) implemented a learning support model, designed to systemically deal with barriers to learning in some primary schools in the province. An evaluation of the WCED model established that this learning support model is not completely contextually responsive to the South African context with specific reference to resources, both human and physical. Although the WCED endeavours to distribute resources more even-handedly across schools in the Western Cape Province, there is still a general lack of resources and institutional capacity which hampers the successful implementation of inclusive education. This situation creates specific barriers that are responsible for the gap between current educational policies and the implementation thereof in schools.