R200m for special schools

Department to refurbish and build new structure

THE Eastern Cape education department has set aside R200-million to refurbish special needs schools in the province and build a new one.

Provincial spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said one of the special needs schools that will benefit will be St Thomas School for the deaf in Stutterheim.

In July the Daily Dispatch reported that more than 2 000 disabled children are on a list to be placed at special needs schools.

Pulumani said R200-million was allocated to upgrading the special needs schools and building another one.

“Our focus is to recapitalise these schools to bring them up to standard – we are also planning to build a brand new school,” he said.

Pressed for a more detailed comment on the planned upgrades, Pulumani referred the Dispatch to the department’s director for infrastructure, Tsepo Pefole.

However, by the time of writing Pefole, who was said to be in a meeting yesterday morning, was not available for comment.

Currently, there are 45 special needs schools in the province.

The department of education has confirmed that 2 160 disabled children in need of placement are on a waiting list.

Nationally, the number of disabled children waiting to be placed at special schools stands at just over 11 000, more than double from last year’s 5 000.

Pulumani said that in an attempt to speed up the process of placing disabled children at school, the department had in the last financial year recruited 69 district-based physiologists and therapists.

The department was also in the process of adopting 30 schools as potential full service schools, where disabled pupils could be accommodated.

Pulumani said the department was also considering converting schools that will be closed as part of the rationalisation programme and convert them into special needs schools.

“At this stage we cannot say which or how many schools will be converted into special needs schools,” Pulumani said. — arethal@dispatch.co.za