APPENDICES
2.2 The state of School Psychological Services
2.2.2 Policies which inform School Psychological Services
The history of Psychological Services in South African schools, though scantly and somehow sketchy, can be traced back to pieces of legislation such as the Special Schools Act of 1948, which focused on learners with disabilities, and the Bantu Education Act of 1953, which was mainly focused on the education of the black child. There are many other policy documents which inform School Psychological Services and the delivery or provision thereof, but the ones
which made the most impact and are very relevant to Psychological Services are discussed below:
The De Lange Report (1981)
This is the one policy document which laid a solid foundation for Guidance and Counselling in South Africa and somewhat changed the education landscape. The De Lange Report highlighted shortfalls in school guidance programmes and made some vital recommendations. One of the concerns the Report raised about the provision of education was the fact that it did not prepare young people to be economically active (Mashile, 2000). The Report recommended that guidance aims to:
help learners cope successfully with their learning and maturing problems at school;
enable learners to develop coping skills such as social skills, learning skills, communication skills etc.;
assist learners in the transition to adult status, and to give them knowledge of sex, marriage and family responsibilities;
teach learners what career and educational opportunities they have and how to choose them in accordance with their needs and abilities; and
teach learners how to deal competently with a fast and changing world.
(Mashile, 2000, p. 89).
While the policy provided sufficient scope to accommodate a variety of South African people and ensuring equity in the provision of educational opportunities, the push for separate but equal was seen by many as a problem or anomaly, as an endorsement of the status quo, which made
the political and ideological factors from the definition of the problem, the report ignored the very basis students rejected the education system in 1976. According to Jansen (2001), the policy did not alter the fundamental principles of apartheid schooling, specifically of being ‘separate but equal’.
The National Education Policy Investigation (NEPI) report of 1992
This is the one document that posited that the systematic-preventive approach to the provision of guidance services to a community was better than the curative-individualistic approach which focused on the individual in the true psychological sense. Environmental factors and social dynamics must be considered and “emphasis placed upon interventions and the creation of healthy environments which prevent individual breakdown and foster the development of personal capacities to cope with life’s challenges” (Mashile 2000, p. 90). The inadequacies identified by both the De Lange Report and the NEPI Report prompted the government to investigate the provision of ESS and Special Needs in Education and Training in 1996.
According to Odhav (2009), NEPI’s basic principles were non-racism, non-sexism, democracy, a unitary system and redress. Through it, numerous policies in education relating to its apartheid past were abandoned, and the social and political system became more accessible in all areas, with more rights for all. Both the NEPI and the National Commission of Higher Education (NCHE) of 1996 were crucial in forming post-apartheid education policy.
As with all the dazzle of post-apartheid education policies, there was considerable distance between policy (official statements of intent) and practice (experiences of teachers and learners)
(Sayed & Jansen, 2000), consequently, very little is changed on the ground. In this case, the policy did not change the state of school guidance and counselling and ultimately it was phased out of the system and replaced with Life Orientation. The NEPI also faced severe criticism from educational think-tanks for being idealistic and naïve (Jansen, 2000), as it did not consider the implementation and financial implications. Moyo (1993), on the other hand, blamed the report for over-simplification of complex issue, e.g., core curriculum, and for overlooking primary schooling.
White Paper on Education and Training of 1995
This was the first official policy document in education published by the ANC-led government which was formulated roughly a year after the birth of the democracy in South Africa. It profoundly shaped South African education into what it is today, especially the provision of psychological services. The White Paper recognised the massive inequalities in the provision of education and that transforming education meant redressing them by first bringing together the fragmented homeland departments into one Department of Education. “It reorganised the national education system by dismantling the old education bureaucracy through the establishment of new national and provincial education departments, and afforded them legislative competence and executive authority” (DoE, 1995b). Its directives included an integrated approach to education and training, an outcomes-based approach, lifelong learning, access to education and training for all, equity, redress, and transforming the legacies of the past (Mothata, 2000). The policy document “charted the government’s mandate to plan for the development of the education and training system for the benefit of the country as a whole and
all its people, fulfilling a vision to ‘open the doors of learning and culture to all’” (DoE, 1995b, p. 8).
Since education and training are basic human rights, the government expressed a firm commitment in this document to ensure that citizens enjoy these rights irrespective of their race, class, gender, creed or age so that they can make their full contribution to the society. According to the Department of Education (1995b, p. 8), “since countless South African families are fragmented by such factors as past unjust laws, migratory labour practices, and marital breakdown … the state has an obligation to provide advice and counselling on education services by all practicable means, and render or support appropriate care and educational services for parents and young children within the community”. The document guaranteed equal access to education for all and put emphasis on redressing the educational inequalities among those sections of the population who were previously disadvantaged. The Department (DoE, 1995b, p.
10) also made a commitment “to counter the legacy of violence by promoting the values underlying the democratic process and the charter of fundamental rights, and by teaching values and skills for conflict management and conflict resolution, the importance of mediation, and the benefits of toleration and co-operation”.
The Interim Core Syllabus for Guidance (Grade 1 to Standard 10) of 1995
This syllabus was implemented in 1996, specifically to address the need for guidance and counselling services by the youth. The continued marginalisation of the subject, the fact that some guidance syllabi were prescriptive and not relevant to the needs and experiences of
learners, the unequal provision of guidance and counselling services, were some of the issues which prompted the re-conceptualization and the development of an entirely new Guidance curriculum. Its main aim was to ensure uniformity within one education system and serve as a basis for future bottom-up policy development. The following aims provided the basis for the implementation of the syllabus:
the holistic development of the learner;
the provision of effective guidance and counselling at all levels in schools;
the promotion of generic and transferable skills in the learner;
to motivate learners to develop an interest in their studies and education in general and promote a culture of learning and work ethic; and,
to promote the integration and relationship between all aspects of Guidance.
(Department of Education, 1995a).
School guidance was unfortunately phased out in 1994 as a result of the rationalisation which meant that non-examinable subjects like physical education, library science, religious instruction suffered the same fate as they were considered a waste of scarce resources (Daniels, 2008).
Financial constraints and a lack of trained counsellors posed a serious challenge. This was compounded by the fact that guidance was seen as elitist and benefiting a privileged few, hence it was seen as a preserve of White schools. Its demise led to the birth of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) in 2001, which served as a catalyst the introduction of Life Orientation.
The NCESS/NCSNET Commission Report of 1996
According to Howell (2000), apartheid created massive inequalities in educational provision for learners with special needs. The government – to investigate the provision of ESS – appointed the National Committee for Education Support Services (NCESS) in 1996 which worked closely with the National Commission on Special Needs in Education and Training (NCSNET). Its task was to investigate and make recommendations on all aspects of ‘special needs’ and support services in education and training in South Africa. It was important that the Commission investigates “the development of education to ensure that the system becomes more responsive to the diverse needs of all learners” (Howell, 2000, p. 118; Mothata, 2000). According to the report “our education system excluded learners categorised as having special needs, which included learners with disabilities, those with learning difficulties, learners with ‘behavioural problems’, those considered ‘at risk’ due to various forms of economic and social deprivation and the gifted” (Howell, 2000, p. 119). According to Johnson and Lazarus (2003), “the report recommends a shift away from a predominantly individualistic approach (seeing the individual as the one with the problem and who needs to be changed) to a systemic approach to understanding and responding to learner difficulties and disabilities”. Hence, as Howell (2000, p.
119) states, “the report indicated that exclusion happened because the education system was unable to provide effectively and appropriately for the full range of learners’ diverse learning needs”. These factors were considered barriers to learning. Hence, the Report recommended changes in the organisation and provision of education, which required both the re-organisation and re-orientation of learning contexts and the development and support of a flexible curriculum.
Amongst other things, the report recommended that there be an appropriate support system in
schools for learners who may require it, and that there is need for in-service training for teachers to equip them with skills to meet learners’ needs. Issues of governance and funding are also important for this venture. The report asserted that “education for all people with disabilities is a fundamental right, which must be advanced and organised from a human rights and development approach to disability” (Howell, 2000, p. 125). People with disabilities, as the report stated, must have equal access to educational opportunities and this implies the availability of additional support mechanisms within an inclusive learning environment. Evidently, the report raised issues which are pertinent in the delivery of School Psychological Services, the most important being unlimited access to support services such as guidance and counselling. Following the Commission Report, the Integrated National Disability Strategy for South Africa (1997) and the Norms and standards (1998) policy documents laid a solid foundation for Psychological Services.
Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS)
This is a policy statement for teaching and learning in the Further Education and Training (FET) band. It gives expression to knowledge, skills and values worth learning. It is meant to ensure that learners acquire and apply knowledge and skills in ways that are meaningful to their own lives. This is a document which introduced Life Orientation as a learning area in schools to replace guidance and counselling. Rather than rely heavily on specialists (e.g., educational psychologists and psychiatrists) and making teachers feel inadequate to deal with learners problems and special needs, LO and IE involves collaboration between educators and specialists to enhance leaners’ well-being, According to the Department of Education (2011), “Life
Orientation is about the study of the self in relation to others and society and was focused on equipping learners with skills to solve problems, make informed choices and decisions and take appropriate actions to live meaningfully and successfully in a rapidly changing society”. Unlike its non-examinable predecessor Guidance, Life Orientation is an interdisciplinary subject which covers a range of topics embedded in “Sociology, Psychology, Political Science and Human Movement Science”. However, its NSC (National Senior Certificate) rating is not considered in tertiary institutions though one cannot pass matric without it. The subject (learning area) contains six topics, namely, development in society; social and environmental responsibility; democracy and human rights; careers and career choices; study skills, and physical education (Department of Education, 2011, p. 6).
The latest inclusion in the national policy arena which replaces the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) is the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), which like its predecessor, is based on the principles of social transformation, active and critical learning, high knowledge and skills, progression, human rights, inclusivity, social justice, and valuing of indigenous knowledge systems (Department of Basic Education, 2011). These principles align with and constitute the backbone of School Psychological Services. Importantly and contrary to popular opinion, Rooth, Seshoka, Steenkamp and Mahuluhulu (2012, p. vi) indicate that the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) “is not a new curriculum but a repackaged curriculum that is teacher-friendly and offers them support by bringing all the important information from the NCS into a single document”. It is intended to ease the administration burden on teachers and provide more clarity on what needed to be taught and tested. Amongst other things, the curriculum aims to produce learners that are able to identify and solve problems
and make decisions using critical and creative thinking (Department of Basic Education, 2011, p.
5). The curriculum in different grades (R-12) focuses on similar skills, knowledge and values with the content taught in lower grades serving as the foundation for the content taught in higher grades. This policy document changed the psycho-educational landscape in the sense that – apart from introducing LO as a school subject – it laid a foundation for the delivery of age-appropriate Life Skills in all grades. Although it provides guidance in the training of Life Orientation educators, its content, however, does not include basic counselling skills for educators to intervene when learners have problems.
Education White Paper 6 (EWP6)
This is a policy document which informs the delivery of inclusive education as a service. It
“provides a framework for the development of an inclusive, holistic and integrated education and training system that is able to respond to diverse learning needs” (Departments of Health &
Basic Education, 2012, p. 34). According to the Department of Education (2003b), the responsibility of the education system to develop and sustain learning is premised on the recognition that education is a fundamental right which extends equally to all learners, with or without disabilities. This means that the education system must create equal opportunities for effective learning by all learners by providing services to learners experiencing barriers to learning. Unlike in the past education system which disadvantaged poor youth, the Further Education and Training (FET) band must ensure that learners are supported to realise their expectations to enter Higher Education or the world of work. The White Paper on Education and Training of 1995 and Education White Paper 6 on Special needs Education: Building an
Inclusive Education and Training System (2001) were meant to transform education to an extent that it benefits every learner despite their disabilities or learning barriers. Barriers to learning were conceptualised as factors which prevented learners from accessing educational provision (DoE, 2003). This document necessitated moving away for the medical model or an individual deficit approach which diagnosed certain learners as having special needs which required specialised teaching within specialised contexts. Teachers need to understand learning barriers and demonstrate an understanding that poverty, a content-based curriculum, the expectation that everyone learns in the same way, and learning in a language which is not one’s home language need to be addressed through the way in which they teach, plan activities and assess learner performance. Apart from identifying barriers to learning, this policy recommended that all learners be given the necessary support and that schools must create conditions for learners to succeed. It is aimed at assisting schools to become inclusive and supportive, and is designed to assist schools to accommodate learners with diverse learning needs which include physical, emotional, social or psychological learning needs (Johnson & Lazarus, 2003). Based on the policy, the lack of School Psychological Services can be considered as a systematic barrier since it denies learners the opportunity to access services which promote their general well-being and enhance their mental health.
The policy documents discussed above made a huge contribution and changed the psychological landscape as well as shape Psychological Services into what they are today. This document discusses a variety of learning barriers (emotional, social and psychological issues) but does not assist educators by propose ways of handling them. Hopefully the new CAPS document which is currently being implemented will bring about positive changes that would improve on the quality
of services already delivered in the public domain and simultaneously suggest how they can influence learners’ well-being, specifically how to handle personal issues which can potentially be a barrier to learning..