Question NW969 to the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
05 May 2023 - NW969
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) Whether her department has put any measures in place to resolve the issue of the estimated 600 000 children with various disabilities who remain outside the school system, including the more than 1 000 children with autism in the Eastern Cape who are not in school, some of whom have been on the waiting list for schools for several years; if not, why not; if so, what are the full details of the (a) total numbers of children with disabilities outside the school system in each province and (b) plans of her department to accommodate them in schools; (2) whether her department will consider an adequate and time-bound plan to be put in place to identify, mobilise and place out-of-school children into appropriate schools, which will require an assessment of each learner’s needs to determine support required at an ordinary school and/or special school as a last resort; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1) The Department of Basic Education, in collaboration with Provincial Education Departments, including the Eastern Cape, is working with disability, parents and civil society organisations to ensure that out-of-school learners are placed in schools. In addition, the Department of Basic Education wrote to Provincial Heads of Departments requesting them to ensure that out-of-school learners of compulsory age of attendance have access to appropriate learning programmes.
a)
|
PED |
ACTUAL |
|
EC |
1685 |
|
FS |
697 |
|
GP |
1772 |
|
KZN |
957 |
|
LP |
1216 |
|
MP |
1120 |
|
NC |
262 |
|
NW |
521 |
|
WC |
1646 |
|
TOTAL |
9876 |
b) The Department of Basic Education, in collaboration with Provincial Education Departments, including the Eastern Cape, is working with disability and parent and civil society organisations to ensure that out-of-school learners are placed in schools. In addition, the Department of Basic Education wrote to Provincial Heads of Departments requesting them to ensure that out of school learners of compulsory age of attendance have access to appropriate learning programmes.
2) In 2014, the Department of Basic Education promulgated the Policy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS), which provides guidance regarding the assessment and placement of learners according the level of support required.