The issue that influences the quality of education in most of the schools, is that the government is battling to supply satisfactory school infrastructure. School infrastructure is important because it makes the teaching and learning process successful, improves learner performance and it decreases the number of learners who dropout. Inclusive education is when all learners with special educational needs are not excluded in the teaching and learning process. “Inclusive Education is not a marginal issue, but an issue that will be crucial to achieving quality education for all students and in the development of more inclusive societies” UNESCO (2008:3). In this essay I will be discussing how poor and unsafe school infrastructure significantly impact learning and also discussing about inclusive education in rural areas.
In rural areas there is poor school infrastructure because the schools receive little cash than the ones within the city. The school financial frameworks are the ones to be criticized since the districts with low income often receive low money from the government. The examples of poor school infrastructure include harmful classroom buildings that are built with inappropriate materials, harmful electrical cabling or lack of electricity, pit toilet, and unsafe drinking water. In other school there is poor infrastructure because of corrupt activities done by people in high positions. For example, school principals and members of the school governing body. “Principals are the main culprits in the corruption at schools” Chaskalson (2017). Vilakazi (2016:21) says there is poor school infrastructure because “The money allocated to building school infrastructure has not been spent well. There has been repeated budget underspending by government.”
Rural schools often have multi-grade classes, due to lack of classrooms and lack of teachers. This enhance inclusive education. In the learning environment inclusive education is indicated by variety and personal contrasts. In rural schools pupils of different age groups are managed by one educator, either are a mentor or a specialist. Schools that are in the rural areas have assisted pupils to be attached to their environment and have empowered neighbourhood culture. “ Education system may foster inclusion in different ways, with a view to providing equitable access for all learners to different educational stages and types of schools.” UNESCO (2008: 48)
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“Infrastructure is an integral component of the learning and teaching context” Khumalo and Mji (2014: 1522). School infrastructure is very important because it makes teaching and learning effective by providing pupils and educators with better learning materials. For example, using computers for technological subjects and for administrative reasons. The negative aspect in education is the lack of learning materials since it may badly influence the teaching and learning operation. Schools that do not have enough learning materials and that have poor infrastructure are the ones having low pass rates.
Rural schools’ pupils are dying because of poor school infrastructure. “A six year old boy died when he fell into a pit toilet at his school in Limpopo, because the seat of the toilet was so corroded” Draga (2018: 239). In some rural schools there are classroom that are built using inadequate materials such wood, mud, rocks and metals, and there is collapsing roofing, walls and visible wires. This is very harmful to both pupils and educators. Many pupils have died due to poor infrastructure but still the government is not doing anything.
Using the pit toilets in schools have bad interference on the wellbeing of pupils. Unhygienic, and the shortage of the essential services additionally influence the wellbeing of pupils. If there was true governance there will be new or redesigned sanitation solutions that can rapidly return the safety of pupils, which will not only take away the danger of pupils falling into toilets, but as well as the wellbeing of pupils, the unhealthy state and the risk of harassment and rape. “The right of many learners to education and human dignity is being violated because of the lack of sanitation facilities” Vilakazi (2016: 11) so pupils’ right to privacy should also be admired.
In schools where there is no adequate electricity it is not possible to facilitate teaching and learning. Because pupils battle to see educators’ notes on the improvised chalkboards. In some rural schools the door and a little window behind pupils are the only way to bring light in the classroom. During cold and raining weather, educators have to choose between satisfactory brightness and making the classroom warmer.
Parents and the community should work together to fight corruption at schools. They should fight for their children to get not less than the minimum level of education. They should make sure that they choose trusted people that will be the members of the school governing body. It is important for parents to know the criteria used to decide how much the school should receive, as well as the number of pupils, and the place where the school is located. They should make sure that the allowance from the department of education is used correctly. The money should be used wisely, for buying the needed learning materials and proper school infrastructure.
In concluding, this issue shows that the quality of schooling is still very bad in the rural areas. There are schools that continue to exist without meeting the essential learning infrastructure demands, such as proper restrooms, libraries, adequate classroom buildings and electricity. The government should inspect the health and wellbeing of pupils when designing classrooms and restrooms, to prevent dying of pupils. Focus should be on advancing health and safe educational environment for all pupils.
