Question NW115 to the Minister of Basic Education
01 April 2019 - NW115
Tarabella - Marchesi, Ms NI to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1)(a) What is the total number of (i) deaf and/or (ii) hearing-impaired learners in each province and (b) what number of the specified learners have been denied access to education due to the lack of resources; (2) how are the deaf learners in Mpumalanga accommodated in view of the fact that no schools for deaf and/or hearing-impaired learners have been built; (3) by what date does her department envisage building a school for deaf and/or hearing-impaired learners, as this issue has been a discussion point for the past two years?
Reply:
Response: (1)(a) (i) (ii)
Table 1: Number of (i) deaf and hard of hearing learners, by province, in 2018
Province |
Deaf (i) |
Hard of Hearing (ii) |
Grand Total |
Eastern Cape |
722 |
1 819 |
2 541 |
Free State |
364 |
285 |
649 |
Gauteng |
1 305 |
510 |
1 815 |
KwaZulu Natal |
1 359 |
1 090 |
2 449 |
Limpopo |
494 |
189 |
683 |
Mpumalanga |
191 |
138 |
329 |
North West |
290 |
88 |
378 |
Northern Cape |
98 |
46 |
144 |
Western Cape |
935 |
219 |
1 154 |
Grand Total |
5 758 |
4 384 |
10 142 |
Source: 2018 LURITS II
(1)(b) The data on the number of deaf and/or hard-of-hearing learners who may have been denied access to education due to the lack of resources is not available at the Department of Basic Education and should be solicited from Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).
(2) Deaf learners in Mpumalanga are accommodated in the following five (5) schools:
- Marietjie Special School;
- Wolvenkop Special School;
- KaMagugu Special School;
- Silondokuhle Special School; and
- Bukhosibetfu Full Service School.
(3) The information about the date for the envisaged building of a school for Deaf and/or hard-of –hearing learners should be obtained from a province as schools are established by the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for education in the province.