Educational deprivation in South Africa and India

Across the globe, differences of gender, class, race, caste and ethnicity continue to create inequalities. Both India and South Africa have governments committed to promoting inclusive education and policies designed to tackle discrimination. But substantial efforts need to be made to establish mechanisms for the implementation of policy and ensure stronger correspondence between policy and practice.

A paper from the UK’s Department for International Development looks at how exclusion continues to shape the education sectors of developing countries. The authors focus on central aspects of exclusion and inclusion: access to and meaningful participation in schooling; involvement in rule-defining and rule-setting processes; the role of the curriculum in learning; and identity – the self-perceptions and perceptions of others around children of their social value and worth.

In South Africa affirmative action is enshrined in the post-apartheid constitution. In India the state seeks to include marginalised and excluded groups through affirmative action offering scholarships, food rations and preferential access to higher education and public employment. While the rhetoric in both countries is high, implementation remains poor. Sector-wide planning in education has developed in a patchy way and has often failed to address social exclusion.

The authors find that:

• None of the schools studied in either country can be described as fully inclusive.
• Even schools that have made efforts are only weakly inclusive on paper.
• Educationalists generally see marginalised people as backward rather than as bearers of rights whose dignity should be reaffirmed and whose needs should drive policy.
• Inclusion cannot happen if only the English language is prioritised in school.
• Exclusion is a massive, unaddressed global challenge: of the 77 million children unable to attend school, 43 million are girls, and many are from marginalised groups.

Inclusive teaching and learning must stem from a curriculum that upholds the principles of inclusive education, such as rights and respect for diversity. Teaching materials must not discriminate in any way against specific racial, caste or other groups. Teachers must be trained to make all students feel welcome.

Donors need to press governments to ensure addressing exclusion is on the top of the international policy agenda. They should also conduct research and disseminate findings from international experience. It is vital to ensure:

• Schools are aware of how caste or race-based differentiation can lead to discrimination
• Inclusion policies are flexible, holistic and adapted to local circumstances
• Excluded people and civil society groups are involved in shaping inclusion policies: it is particularly important that communities can hold schools to account
• Greater monitoring of inclusion initiatives: schools must have incentives to monitor the progress of those at risk of exclusion
• All potential beneficiaries are aware of interventions to reduce the cost of education, such as scholarships, or conditional and unconditional cash grants
• Grievances and complaints are transparently dealt with