Question NW879 to the Minister of Basic Education
25 March 2025 - NW879
Gcume, Ms NP to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) Noting that the 2024-25 budget allocated R1,77 billion to public special needs schools and yet only 4% of the total education budget is directed towards school transfers and that the Learners with Profound Intellectual Disabilities grant accounts for only R36,5 million, what total amount of the specified funding has been spent directly on improving learning conditions for learners with special needs, given that many special needs schools struggle with inadequate resources, therapist shortages and transportation issues; (2) what percentage of the R2,47 billion allocated to non-profit institutions benefits special needs education?
Reply:
(1) The Department of Basic Education (DBE) remains committed to ensuring that learners with special educational needs are supported through both conditional grants and equitable share allocations. For the 2024/25 financial year, a total of R278,947,000 has been transferred to Provincial Education Departments through the Conditional Grant on Learners with Severe to Profound Intellectual Disabilities. This funding is specifically aimed at improving access to quality education for learners who require high levels of support, including the provision of therapists, assistive devices, appropriate learning and teaching support materials and transport assistance where necessary.
In addition to the conditional grant, Provincial Education Departments have reported spending R9,807,799,000 out of R13,092,438,000 under Programme 4: Public Special School Education to support learners with special education needs during the 2024/25 financial year. These funds cover a range of services including teacher salaries, operational support, infrastructure maintenance and school-level transfers to special schools.
The DBE continues to monitor expenditure and performance across all provinces and works with Provincial Education Departments to address persistent challenges such as therapist shortages, inadequate learning resources and learner transport. Where systemic issues arise, these are escalated through intergovernmental forums and raised with National Treasury for potential redress through future budget cycles.
(2) The Department of Basic Education does not allocate funding directly to non-profit organisations for the support of learners with special education needs. Where non-profit institutions are involved in the education of learners with disabilities, funding is managed at the provincial level.
Ultimately, our objective remains to ensure that every learner, regardless of disability or support need, is afforded the opportunity to access quality education in a safe, enabling and inclusive learning environment.