UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Education
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DPP1501: Inclusive Education and Diversity
Assignment 4 (Portfolio) | Semester 2, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DPP1501
Module Code:
Inclusive Education and Diversity
Module Name:
Diversity in the Classroom and South
Assignment Topic:
African Inclusive Education Policy Frame-
works
Assignment 4 (Portfolio)
Assignment Number:
148602
Unique Number:
28 October 2026
Due Date:
60
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for DPP1501, UNISA 2026
, UNISA | DPP1501 Assignment 4: Portfolio
Question 1: Diversity and Inclusive Education Policy in South Africa
Inclusive education in South Africa rests on the constitutional promise of equal access to basic
education and equal protection against unfair discrimination (Constitution of the Republic of
South Africa, 1996). The two parts of this question deal first with diversity as a classroom real-
ity and then with the three policy and legislative frameworks that direct how schools respond
to that reality.
1.1 Diversity in the Classroom
Diversity in the classroom refers to the full range of differences among learners that shape
how each one experiences teaching, learning and belonging at school. These differences are
not a problem to be corrected; they are the ordinary condition of any South African class, and
they become a challenge only when the school environment, curriculum or teaching approach
is built around an imagined average learner (Ainscow, Booth and Dyson, 2006). Education
White Paper 6 reinforces this view by locating barriers to learning in the system rather than
in the learner (Department of Education, 2001). The key dimensions of diversity are cultural
and linguistic background, socio-economic circumstances, ability and disability, learning pace
and style, gender, religion, and family and health circumstances. Language is especially visible:
a Grade 4 class in a township school may contain isiXhosa, Sesotho and Afrikaans speakers
who are all learning through English, so that comprehension difficulties are often a language
barrier rather than a lack of ability. Poverty is equally influential, because hunger, long walk-
ing distances and the absence of books at home affect concentration and attendance, and re-
search shows that poverty remains a major constraint on inclusion in South African schools
(Rinquest and Simba, 2024). A learner with low vision, a learner who is a young caregiver in a
child-headed household and a learner whose religious practice affects school events all illus-
trate how these dimensions overlap within one classroom.
Teachers support diverse learners in an inclusive learning environment by planning for vari-
ation from the start instead of adding accommodations after a learner has failed. Tomlinson
(2014) shows that differentiated instruction adjusts the content, the learning process, the
product and the environment according to learner readiness, interest and profile. In practice,
a Foundation Phase teacher can run flexible reading groups, give extra decoding practice to
some learners and extension texts to others, and allow learners to show understanding through
drawing, speaking or writing. Vygotsky (1978) explains why cooperative learning works, since
Page 2 of 7
College of Education
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DPP1501: Inclusive Education and Diversity
Assignment 4 (Portfolio) | Semester 2, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DPP1501
Module Code:
Inclusive Education and Diversity
Module Name:
Diversity in the Classroom and South
Assignment Topic:
African Inclusive Education Policy Frame-
works
Assignment 4 (Portfolio)
Assignment Number:
148602
Unique Number:
28 October 2026
Due Date:
60
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for DPP1501, UNISA 2026
, UNISA | DPP1501 Assignment 4: Portfolio
Question 1: Diversity and Inclusive Education Policy in South Africa
Inclusive education in South Africa rests on the constitutional promise of equal access to basic
education and equal protection against unfair discrimination (Constitution of the Republic of
South Africa, 1996). The two parts of this question deal first with diversity as a classroom real-
ity and then with the three policy and legislative frameworks that direct how schools respond
to that reality.
1.1 Diversity in the Classroom
Diversity in the classroom refers to the full range of differences among learners that shape
how each one experiences teaching, learning and belonging at school. These differences are
not a problem to be corrected; they are the ordinary condition of any South African class, and
they become a challenge only when the school environment, curriculum or teaching approach
is built around an imagined average learner (Ainscow, Booth and Dyson, 2006). Education
White Paper 6 reinforces this view by locating barriers to learning in the system rather than
in the learner (Department of Education, 2001). The key dimensions of diversity are cultural
and linguistic background, socio-economic circumstances, ability and disability, learning pace
and style, gender, religion, and family and health circumstances. Language is especially visible:
a Grade 4 class in a township school may contain isiXhosa, Sesotho and Afrikaans speakers
who are all learning through English, so that comprehension difficulties are often a language
barrier rather than a lack of ability. Poverty is equally influential, because hunger, long walk-
ing distances and the absence of books at home affect concentration and attendance, and re-
search shows that poverty remains a major constraint on inclusion in South African schools
(Rinquest and Simba, 2024). A learner with low vision, a learner who is a young caregiver in a
child-headed household and a learner whose religious practice affects school events all illus-
trate how these dimensions overlap within one classroom.
Teachers support diverse learners in an inclusive learning environment by planning for vari-
ation from the start instead of adding accommodations after a learner has failed. Tomlinson
(2014) shows that differentiated instruction adjusts the content, the learning process, the
product and the environment according to learner readiness, interest and profile. In practice,
a Foundation Phase teacher can run flexible reading groups, give extra decoding practice to
some learners and extension texts to others, and allow learners to show understanding through
drawing, speaking or writing. Vygotsky (1978) explains why cooperative learning works, since
Page 2 of 7
