Teachers' experiences of implementing the SIAS policy in selected Gauteng East township primary schools

Abstract

South Africa became a democratic country in 1994. In the democratic dispensation, the country reformed its education system by establishing several legislations and policies. These include policies aimed at promoting inclusive education. Through these policies, the country desired to develop and strengthen the educational support afforded to every learner in the education system. This study focused on one of the policies on inclusive education; this policy came into effect in 2014 and is known as the policy on screening, identification, assessment, and support (SIAS). This study aimed to explore teachers’ experiences in implementing the SIAS policy in selected township primary schools in the Gauteng East district. Four research questions gave direction to the study: What are teachers’ experiences of implementing the SIAS policy in Gauteng East township primary schools? What are the factors enhancing teachers’ implementation of the SIAS policy in Gauteng East township primary schools? What are the factors inhibiting teachers’ implementation of the SIAS policy in Gauteng East township primary schools? How do teachers respond to the factors that inhibit the implementation of the SIAS policy in Gauteng East township primary schools? What support do teachers require to improve the implementation of the SIAS policy in Gauteng East township primary schools? To understand teachers’ experiences of implementing the SIAS policy, the policy implementation theory was used as the theoretical framework of the study. The qualitative approach was adopted, and the case study design was employed to engage with teachers’ experiences. In addition, semi-structured interviews and document reviews were used as methods of collecting data; this data was then analysed using the thematic analysis method. The findings of this study provided knowledge on the implementation of the SIAS policy in township schools. Among other themes that emerged from data are teachers’ understanding of the SIAS policy, their practices in its implementation, and various factors affecting this implementation. The factors included strengths such as the functional SBST influence collaboration, school learning support programs, and applying the pull-out system to provide additional support. The study contributes knowledge on the kind of support required by teachers to improve the implementation of the SIAS policy.