PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

PIRLS 2006 EncyclopediaSchools with ICT are expected to use it to enhance their students’ learning. Teachersare encouraged to use ICT to enhance instruction, management, and administration;to access ICT resources that support curriculum delivery; and to connect to ICTinfrastructure. The policy also stipulates the involvement of the community by allowingafter-hours community access to the schools’ computer facilities. Communities areresponsible for supporting, sustaining, and maintaining the facilities.The implementation of these strategic policy goals necessitates a multi-yearimplementation strategy in three phases: 1) Enhancement of a system-wide andinstitutional readiness to use ICTs for instruction and administration, 2) A system-wideintegration of ICTs into instruction, and 3) ICTs should be integrated at all levels of theeducation system.The extent of the use of ICT still depends on individual schools. In the provincesof Gauteng and the Western Cape, policies exist to implement ICT in every school andimplementation has begun. Outside these provinces, ICT in schools is rather limited.In most cases, those schools with ICT are better resourced schools or under-resourcedschools that have received ICT from donors.Role of Reading SpecialistsNo official information is available about reading specialists. Occupational therapistsare employed in some of the more affluent schools or have established links with wellresourcedschools, particularly in urban areas. The majority of children in South Africanschools do not have access to remedial assistance in reading.Second-language InstructionThe Revised National Curriculum Statement for grades R to 9 specifically advocates anadditive approach to multilingualism in schools. 15 This policy is based on a transitionalbilingual education model in which students make the transition from a bilingualprogram to English monolingual education. In classrooms where students have to makethe transition from another language to English as the main language of instruction ingrade 4, English must to be introduced as an additional subject in grade 1. The students’mother tongue should thereafter be continued for as long as possible. 16Reading DisabilitiesAlthough mainstream schools are the norm in South Africa, a limited number of specialeducation schools exist. These include schools for students with special educationneeds, such as those with learning disabilities, hearing or sight impairments, and certaincognitive or developmental disorders. There is a move, however, toward the gradualimplementation of inclusive educational practices in all schools in South Africa.South AfricaTeachers and Teacher EducationTeacher Education and TrainingMany teachers currently in the system obtained a variety of qualifications during theapartheid period. These most often varied according to their racial grouping, since390