The key concepts which are used in this study are clarified below.
1.11.1 Inclusion
Donald, Lazarus and Lolwana (2002:23) indicate that this term refers to a broad philosophical and principled position that all children should have the same educational rights. In South Africa, this position relates to the Bill of Rights, which protects all children from discrimination whether this is linked to race, gender, social class, language, religion or ability.
The Education White Paper 6 (2001:10) defines inclusion in a broader perspective. The focus is ―systematically moving away from using segregation according to categories of disabilities as an organizing principle for institution‖.
1.11.2. Inclusive education.
Inclusive education refers to an education policy based on the principle of inclusion. Such a policy must ensure that the full variety of educational needs is optimally accommodated and included in a single education system (Donald, Lazarus & Lolwana 2002:23).
The Education White Paper 6 (S.A. 2001:16) defines inclusive education in a broader perspective. The focus is ―about acknowledging that all children and youth can learn and that all children and youth need support‖.
Within the context of this study this involves different ways of meeting the diversity of learning needs, including the specific needs of children who have experienced diverse barriers to learning and developing.
1.11.3. Mainstreaming
This term has been commonly used in the past to refer to the placement of a child with
―special needs‖ in the mainstream or regular school setting. Because the concepts inclusion and inclusive education have broader implications than the term
‗mainstreaming‘ they are the preferred terms today (Donald, Lazarus & Lolwana, 2002:23).
1.11.4 Management
The Oxford Advanced Dictionary (1995: 712) defines management as the control of and making of decisions in a business or similar organisation. Within the focus of this research, management refers to the control of schools for learners with a hearing impairment.
According to Sithole (1995:106), school management is responsible for the management of the day-to-day administrative and instructional functions of the school by ensuring
effective teaching and learning, and the efficient use of the school‘s human and material resources. It operationalises and implements school policy as formulated and adopted by the school governance structure. The principal, deputies and heads of department constitute the school management team (SMT) and all of them are either employed by the department of education or the school itself. The principal is the head of the school management team and is assisted and supported in his/her functions by the senior officials of the education department at circuit or district level.
1.11.5 Educator
According to the current National Education Policy Act 27 of 1996:1, ―educator‖ means any person who teaches, educates or trains other persons at an education services or education auxiliary or support services provided by or in an education department…‖
Resolution no.6 of 1998 of the Education Labour Relation Council, defines ―educator‖ as a person currently employed in a Provincial Education Department or the Department of Education within the meaning of educator as defined in the act.
1.11.6 Re-deployed
The concept re-deployed is the past tense of re-deploy, which according to Webster (1986:1902) means to transfer from one area to another. Its noun is redeployment as in
―relocation.‖
The objectives of re-deployment are to provide for rationalization and re-deployment of educators within educational institutions and to achieve equity and redress in education staff provisioning intra-provisionally (Management plan, 1998/99:2.0).
The policy of redeployment is a continuous process, which means that more and more
―new‖ educators from the mainstream schools will continue to be re-deployed to special
schools whenever there is a need for more educators in special schools. It is against this background that a training programme for these ―new‖ educators is crucial.
1.11.7 Hearing impairment
Davis and Hardick (1981:830} describe the term hearing impairment as the physical deficit related to loss of hearing. According to these authors, the loss of hearing affects the person‘s ability to communicate or operate in a social context, in an academic sense or in pursuing a vocation. Boothroyd (1982:4) defines it as a ―deviation‖ from normal hearing ability, which includes all types of hearing loss regardless of the nature and acuteness of hearing loss.
McNeil and Chabassol (1984:33) define hearing impairment as any loss of hearing acute enough so as to render the grasp of normal conversation very difficult with or without a hearing aid. It infers some abnormality from the normal and embraces all problems of hearing regardless of their nature or acuteness.
The definition by Davis and Hardick (1981:83) and Boothroyd (1982:4) will be combined with that of McNeil and Chabassol (1984:33) and used in this research because they are all relevant to the focus group of learners under review.
―All LHI have at least one characteristic in common: they do not hear normally‖
(Cummings, 1995:14). The loss of hearing of the LHI is influenced by the period during which the hearing loss occurs. This period is called ―age of onset‖ (Cummings, 1995:14.) The loss of hearing can occur at any age, from birth up to the stage of old age (Hugo, 1989:2).
Although the literature review regarding possible characteristic of LHI makes a lot of generalizations, there are exceptions to the general possible characteristics. The
researcher‘s view, based on his experiences in working with LHI, is that not all of them behave in the manner in which they are portrayed by the literature.
1.11.8 Mainstream schools
Mainstream schools refer to ordinary regular schools for learners without a disability of hearing impairment. In the context of hearing impairment the concept ―mainstream‖
implies that the hearing impaired learner experiences the same daily circumstances as the mainstream community (Nix, 1997 in Hugo & Cummings, 1995:5)
Based on a practical perspective and as far as the education of learners with a hearing impairment is concerned, mainstreaming can be defined as an educational alternative for a learner with a hearing impairment. During mainstreaming a learner and his/her educators must get the necessary support so that he/she has the opportunity to receive all, or most of his/her education alongside other learners in the community within the frame work of an ordinary school programme (Northern & Downs, 1984:326 in Hugo &
Cummings, 1995:5)
1.11.9 In-Service training
According to Bedassi (1994:14), in-service training has to do with improving a serving manager‘s professional, academic and personal development through the provision of services of study experiences and activities.
For the purpose of this research the above explanation extends its meaning to include all educators who have been targeted in this study.
1.11.10 In-service
The Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary (1995:616) defines in-service as carried out while actually working at a job‖.
1.11.11 Impairment
Within the context of this study, impairment is referred to as a barrier to learning.
Redeployed educators will be equipped in service with the knowledge of what causes barriers to learning and the effects thereof.
1.11.12 Learner
The Oxford Advanced Dictionary (1995:671) defines a learner as a person who is gaining knowledge or skills obtained by study.
1.11.13 Learners with a hearing impairment
According to Du Toit (2002:23) this refers to learners whose hearing abilities lie on a continuum of ‗no hearing‘ to ‗normal hearing‘. There is either an inability or serious problem in acquiring a spoken / written language including normal speech through the usually auditory channels. In the case of learners with a hearing impairment their first language, namely sign language, is acquired naturally in a visual way and any spoken / written language is therefore a second language.
1.11.14 Schools for the learners with a hearing impairment
In this study, schools for the learners with a hearing impairment refers to schools, which cater for learners who have a hearing loss of any degree that renders the grasp of normal conversation very difficult with or without a hearing aid.
1.11.15 Training
Training refers to ―the process of preparing or being prepared for a sport or a job‖
(Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary 1995:1268).
1.11.16 Programme
A programme refers to ―a plan of future events and activities (Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary 1995: 925).
For the purpose of this research it means a training plan or arrangement of activities to train new educators re-deployed from the mainstream schools.
1.11.17 Governance
Oxford Advanced dictionary (1995:515) defines governance as the activity or manner of governing. Within the context of this study, governance will refer to the manner of governing schools for learners with a hearing impairment.
According to Sithole (1995:106), school governance refers to the institutional structure that is entrusted with the responsibility and authority to formulate and adopt school policy about a range of issues, for example: the mission and ethos of the school; school uniform and colours; budgetary and development priorities; ―code of conduct of students; staff and parents;‖ broad goals on educational quality that the school should strive to achieve;
school community programme development, and so on. The school governance structure
is constituted by parents, teachers, non-academic staff, the principal (in an ex-officio capacity), students in the case of secondary schools, and experts in the case of special needs school.
1.11.18 Parents
Oxford Advanced dictionary (1995:841) defines parent as father or mother.
1.11.19 The Limpopo province
The Limpopo province is one of the nine provinces which was demarcated when the democratic government of South Africa came into being in 1994
1.11.20 Constitution
A constitution is a document that explains how an organization must be run. In other words a constitution is like a set of rules and regulations. The governing body‘s constitution forms the basis of or all the governing body‘s work (Department of Education, 1997:35).