Question No. 526
Mrs PC Duncan (Democratic Alliance) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether any steps are being taken to ensure that children and youth with disabilities are receiving quality education; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) Whether any steps are being taken to ensure that there is sufficient schools with the required, structural and communication accessibility for children and youth with disabilities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Yes, the Department of Basic Education is taking steps to ensure that children and youth with disabilities are receiving quality education.
1. In 2008, as part of the inclusive education field test, the Department of Basic Education conducted a situational analysis to assess the needs of special schools and full service schools. A total of 33 sampled special schools and four full service schools across the country were visited.
The findings of the situational analysis revealed that these institutions are contending with acute shortage of resources, making it difficult to provide quality and inclusive education to learners they serve.
2. Flowing from the findings of the situational analysis, between July and December 2009 the department rolled out a tender to procure and supply assistive devices to 10 of the 37 schools visited. Through this tender:
* R9 million worth of assistive devices, material resources and assistive technology were supplied to the 10 selected schools (seven special and three full service schools) in order to reduce the state of neglect that pervaded special schools in rural and remote areas
* Learners with physical disabilities were fitted with appropriate, customised wheelchairs with fittings, standing and seating devices.
* Schools for learners with visual impairment were supplied with information technology (IT) equipment to mitigate the effects of visual loss, such as computers with relevant software, desktop magnifiers, Perkins Braille, etc
* 80 Desktop computers were supplied to the schools
* Devices and therapy packs for hearing-impaired learners were also supplied
* Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) software was supplied to enhance teaching and learning of children with communication problems
* Training was provided in all schools on the use, management and maintenance of the devices and software, including a programme on fine-motor development for foundation phase learners.
The following schools were the beneficiaries:
School and province
Ebhotwe: Eastern Cape
Agape: Western Cape
Thiboloha: Free State
Silindokuhle: Mpumalanga
Re-Tlameleng: Northern Cape
Thuthukani: KwaZulu-Natal
Tshilidzini: Limpopo
Vukuzenzele: Eastern Cape
Mphuphuthe: North West
3. The Department of Basic Education further rolled out a second phase of this tender process between January and March 2010 and 23 of the 37 schools were the added beneficiaries of two computers each, loaded with AAC software. The supply of the equipment happened concurrently with the training of teachers on the usage of such devices. The following schools were the beneficiaries:
Province and school
Eastern Cape: Nompumalanga
Eastern Cape: Ebhotwe
Eastern Cape: Zanokhanyo
Free State: Tswellang
Free State: Leboneng
Free State: Letlotlo
Gauteng: Ezibeleni
Gauteng: Nokuthula
KwaZulu-Natal: Khalipha
KwaZulu-Natal: Inanda
KwaZulu-Natal: Sondelani
Limpopo: Tshilidzini
Limpopo: Tshisaulu
Limpopo: Mokgalabye
Limpopo: Bosele
Mpumalanga: Kamagugu
North West: Meerhof
North West: Ikalafeng
Northern Cape: Kimberley TC
Northern Cape: Jannie Brink
Northern Cape: Learamele
Northern Cape: Boitumelo
Western Cape: Noluthando
In February 2009, the department engaged the services of a consultant on a one year contract to develop a strategy for improving the quality of education for learners with visual loss. 26 Schools serving visually impaired learners were visited to audit services.
The department supplied 25 schools with Braille and enlarged print books through the Ithuba Books project for learners with visual impairment in 2009. A plan for procuring prescribed textbooks in Braille and large print copies for blind and partially sighted learners has been drawn up for 2010/11. This is quite an involved process requiring:
* skilled translation and contraction from written text to Braille text
* costly equipment in the form of embossing, printing and binding machinery and special Braille paper
* Personnel to man the machines and package the Braille copies.
Visually impaired teachers across provinces are participating in a training project for visually impaired educators to improve their curriculum delivery through the use of innovative technology.
2. The department is taking gradual steps to ensure that there are sufficient schools with the required, structural and communication accessibility for children and youth with disabilities.
Education White Paper six: Special Needs Education, Building an Inclusive Education and Training System, recommends the conversion of ordinary schools to full-service/inclusive schools as one of the first steps of building an inclusive system.
In line with the recommendation, the department identified 30 ordinary schools for conversion into full service or inclusive schools of which 10 were allocated funding for physical upgrading. R10 million has already been spent in the process.
Eight of the 10 ordinary schools have been fully converted into full service schools and the remaining two are nearing completion. The table below indicates the 10 schools that were identified for conversion into full-service schools:
Province, school and status
* Limpopo
Mokgalabye Primary: complete
Tshisahulu Primary: complete
* Mpumalanga
Tenteleni Primary: nearing completion
* North West
Mphuphuthe Primary: phase one is complete
Phase two is in progress
* Free State
Letlotlo Primary: nearing completion
* KwaZulu-Natal
Sondelani Primary: complete
Dover Primary: complete
* Western Cape
JD Crawford: complete
* Eastern Cape
Ebhotwe Primary: complete
Zanokhanyo Primary: phase one is complete
Phase two is in progress
4. Over and above environmental accessibility which is achieved through physical upgrading, the selected full service schools have participated in other inclusive education activities including advocacy, training on screening, identification, assessment and support (SIAS) and Inclusive Learning Programme (ILP) as well as other activities initiated by the provinces.
The capacity building that full service schools have received and continue to receive prepares them for inclusivity and therefore relieves special schools of burden due to long lists of referrals. The responsibility for the physically upgrading of the remaining 20 selected full service schools is in progress and has been taken over by provinces.
Issued by: Department of Basic Education
26 March 2010
Source: Department of Education (http://www.education.gov.za/)
