Challenges School Management Experience with Inclusion of Learners with Visual Impairments: A Case of a Secondary School in Namibia

Abstract

Background: The Namibian constitution declares education as a fundamental right for every child, regardless of their learning abilities. Pre-independence, Namibia adopted separate special schools for learners with visual impairments. However, after independence inclusion in mainstream education system became one of the significant changes in educational reforms. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore challenges facing school management of an inclusive school for learners with visual impairments. Objectives: 1) To assess the perceptions of members of the school management on the inclusion of learners with visual impairments in a mainstream school. 2) To identify challenges the school management encounters in facilitating the inclusion of learners with visual impairments. 3) To provide measures that school management should put in place to address identified social and academic challenges. Methods: The paper employed a qualitative design. A stratified-purposive sampling technique was used to select sixteen (16) participants composed of a principal, three (3) heads of departments, six (6) teachers and six (6) learners who took part in this study. Interviews guide, still pictures and observation schedule were used as research instruments and a narrative analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: The study reveals that members of the school management are faced with challenges ranging from negative attitudes towards inclusion of learners with visual impairments, unwelcoming infrastructure, large classes, and lack of skills and instructional resources, curriculum restrictions, lack of targeted measures to ensure social and academic inclusion. Conclusion: The paper concluded that there are structural, cultural and agential challenges experienced by management of an inclusive school for learners with visual impairments. The paper suggested some remedies to these challenges. Recommendations: The paper recommended regular in-service training, budgetary provisions for redressing the infrastructural challenges, encouraging regular visits by inclusive education specialists, and strengthening the relationship between inclusive and resource schools. It is recommended that further study should be conducted to assess the post-policy social realist challenges to an inclusive school setting and use such studies to inform an improvement strategy.