Thousands of special needs children wait for school places in SA

MORE than 3 200 children were placed on waiting lists for special needs schools across the country last year.

The Northern Cape, with 1 643, had the highest number of children waiting for a place, followed by Mpumalanga with 725 and the Free State with 561, according to the Department of Basic Education.

“It is evident from these statistics that learners with special needs are not receiving the critical attention they deserve,” said DA MP Sonja Boshoff, who is a member of the Parliament’s Basic Education portfolio committee.

In the Western Cape, 147 children were on waiting lists, and most of these pupils had been placed in mainstream schools while waiting for placement in special needs schools.

The Western Cape Education Department has indicated that the demand for spaces in public special schools in the province has outgrown the facilities available.

Boshoff said it was a matter of concern that that no figures for Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal were available, indicating the number of children on waiting lists could be much higher.

The Department of Basic Education noted that each province had plans to accommodate pupils with special education needs.

Jessica Shelver, spokeswoman for the office of Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, said the waiting period for special needs schools in the province varied depending on available space.

She said special needs pupils who were attending mainstream schools received support from inclusive education outreach teams.

“The Western Cape Education Department will conduct an infrastructure audit to ascertain which public special schools can be expanded by the addition of additional classrooms and workshops.

“As an interim measure, mobile classrooms will also be considered.

“The department is currently planning to build additional classrooms in special schools where there is space to accommodate learners.”

Shelver said the buildings of two existing special schools would be replaced over the next two years, which would double the capacity of these schools.

“Areas of high need will be identified for the possibility of building new schools.”