The Department of Basic Education (DBE [formerly DOE]) states that its goal is to minimise, remove and prevent barriers to learning and development in the educational settings by attending to the unique needs of the individual learner (DOE 2001). This can be achieved by early identification and addressing the diverse needs of learners. However, the gap between reality and this ideal of IE cannot be bridged (Engelbrecht et al. 2016). Despite the commitment of the department to take responsibility to create equal opportunities for all learners (DOE 2001) and sustain effective learning in schools, general education remains poor (Donohue & Bornman 2014), with the process of change being slow (Reddy, Juan & Meyiwa 2013). In SA, as the world over, attempts to minimise exclusion are ineffective, resulting in exclusion being more evident than ever (Kaur & Arora 2014).Twenty-four years into democracy, SA still cannot claim that all learners profit from quality education and service provision contrary to the vision of the government to correct inequalities Background: Prior to 1994, special education in South Africa was marginalised and fragmented; therefore, the new democratic government promoted inclusive education as a means to transform education in general and diverse education in particular. However, transformation in diverse education is seemingly moving forward at a snail's pace -too slow to benefit all learners experiencing barriers to learning and development.Objectives: This article serves a dual purpose: firstly, to apply a bio-ecological approach to highlight the historic development of diverse education and, secondly, to explore the interactive processes within the systemic levels in the South African education system, which affects the learner on the person dimension of the bio-ecological approach.Method: A document analysis approach was utilised to collect information by exploring a large body of research literature, which included academic articles, reports, policies and policy reviews. Data were categorised within the systems of the bio-ecological model to determine successes and challenges at each level.Results: Results from the bio-ecological systems analysis of related literature revealed not only many successes but also many challenges that inhibit change, growth and development in the South African education system, even more so for children experiencing barriers to learning. Conclusion:The transformation process of change from what was to what should be, regarding diverse education, seems to be stuck at what is and not moving forward to what could be. It has not transformed significantly enough to fill the gap between reality and the envisaged aim or dream of quality education for all.

Peer review declarationThe publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript underwent an evaluation to compare the level of originality with other published works and was subjected to rigorous two-step peer review before publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the editor(s) or author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher, editor(s) and author(s). The publisher shared feedback on the similarity report and the reviewers' inputs with the manuscript's editor(s) or author(s) to improve the manuscript. Where the reviewers recommended revision and improvements the editor(s) or author(s) responded adequately to such recommendations. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the book be published. v Research justificationThe main objective of this manuscript is to place higher education at the core of the necessary transformation towards sustainable practices and policies, especially in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) member states. As indicated in the lead chapter, the exploration of sustainable development (SD) at the higher education level in BRICS has been neglected. In fact, there is a scarcity of research studies exploring education for sustainable development (ESD) within the higher education sector, especially through the comparative method. Considering the potential of higher education institutions (HEIs) to shape sustainability-orientated citizens capable of making decisions and taking action to address global challenges, we believe that the examination of higher education for sustainable development (HESD) is a matter of urgency.The ten chapters of this manuscript contain original research and provide rich information on HESD in the BRICS countries. Some of the chapters are comparative in nature, zooming on specific BRICS countries, while others delve deeper into one specific member state, showcasing findings and interpretations that can be informative to and applied by other contexts. The collective chapters of this manuscript followed an interpretive paradigm focusing on understanding the world around us, in this case the sector of higher education in BRICS. Relevant methodologies and data collection methods are described in each individual chapter. The chapters are not driven by a specific theory; however, they are informed by the notion of 'becoming'. In alignment with that notion, the authors of the chapters acknowledge the constant changes, often caused by humans, to human life and the planet that require action to transform higher education for the benefit of sustainable societies. The manuscript is meant to stimulate further dialogue between scholars about higher education for sustainable development in BRICS.The target audience consists of academia and specialists in the educational sciences. The book constitutes original research that has not been published elsewhere and is not p...

Peer review declarationThe publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript underwent an evaluation to compare the level of originality with other published works and was subjected to rigorous two-step peer review before publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the editor(s) or author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher, editor(s) and author(s). The publisher shared feedback on the similarity report and the reviewers' inputs with the manuscript's editor(s) or author(s) to improve the manuscript. Where the reviewers recommended revision and improvements the editor(s) or author(s) responded adequately to such recommendations. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the book be published. v Research justificationThe main objective of this manuscript is to place higher education at the core of the necessary transformation towards sustainable practices and policies, especially in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) member states. As indicated in the lead chapter, the exploration of sustainable development (SD) at the higher education level in BRICS has been neglected. In fact, there is a scarcity of research studies exploring education for sustainable development (ESD) within the higher education sector, especially through the comparative method. Considering the potential of higher education institutions (HEIs) to shape sustainability-orientated citizens capable of making decisions and taking action to address global challenges, we believe that the examination of higher education for sustainable development (HESD) is a matter of urgency.The ten chapters of this manuscript contain original research and provide rich information on HESD in the BRICS countries. Some of the chapters are comparative in nature, zooming on specific BRICS countries, while others delve deeper into one specific member state, showcasing findings and interpretations that can be informative to and applied by other contexts. The collective chapters of this manuscript followed an interpretive paradigm focusing on understanding the world around us, in this case the sector of higher education in BRICS. Relevant methodologies and data collection methods are described in each individual chapter. The chapters are not driven by a specific theory; however, they are informed by the notion of 'becoming'. In alignment with that notion, the authors of the chapters acknowledge the constant changes, often caused by humans, to human life and the planet that require action to transform higher education for the benefit of sustainable societies. The manuscript is meant to stimulate further dialogue between scholars about higher education for sustainable development in BRICS.The target audience consists of academia and specialists in the educational sciences. The book constitutes original research that has not been published elsewhere and is not p...

Objective: To examine the geographic distribution of mothers´ self-reported personal social support and depressive symptoms as well as their perception of their communities´ social capital.