ATC200303: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education concerning the South African Human Rights Commission Report on the Investigative Hearing into the Lack of Safety and Security Measures in Schools for Children with Disabilities in South Africa, referred to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education by the Speaker of the National Assembly for consideration. dated 3 March 2020.

Basic Education

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education concerning the South African Human Rights Commission Report on the Investigative Hearing into the Lack of Safety and Security Measures in Schools for Children with Disabilities in South Africa, referred to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education by the Speaker of the National Assembly for consideration. dated 3 March 2020.
 

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, having considered the South African Human Rights Commission Report on the Investigative Hearing into the Lack of Safety and Security Measures in Schools for Children with Disabilities in South Africa, referred to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education by the Speaker of the National Assembly for consideration, reports as follows:

 

On Tuesday, 18 February 2020, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education convened a meeting to consider the South African Human Rights Commission Report on the Investigative Hearing into the Lack of Safety and Security Measures in Schools for Children with Disabilities in South Africa. The Portfolio Committee initiated and called the meeting to receive a briefing and engage on the SAHRC Report by the following stakeholders:

• Representative of the South African Human Rights Commission;
• North West Department of Education; and
• Department of Basic Education (DBE).

 

PS. Due to prior commitments, the SAHRC was unable to attend but had a member of the Commission in attendance as an observer.

 

1. Presentation by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on the Report of the SA Human Rights Commission on the North West Provincial Investigative Hearing into Lack of Safety and Security Measures in Schools for Children with Disabilities in South Africa – Mr E J Ngcobo

Mr Ngcobo in his opening remarks gave a broad outline of the recommendations of the SAHRC Report and the steps of the Department in addressing those recommendations. The Department showed past steps taken that demonstrated commitment to an Inclusive Education System and reasonable accommodation in respect of the following

• Access to Education for Learners with Disabilities;
• Enrolment of Learners in Special Schools per province;
• Enrolment of Learners with Disabilities in Public Ordinary Schools;
• Distribution of Special Schools;
• Special Schools Resource Centres;
• Special schools with hostels; and
• Public Special Schools Funding.

Mr Ngcobo also touched on matters pertaining to Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) as well as Curriculum Differentiation. The Department gave a breakdown of the teachers and officials trained in all provinces in respect of SIAS as well as details pertaining to the “Teachers as Agents of Change” initiative of the Department to support schools. Mr Ngcobo spoke on the matter of designation, conversion and resourcing of full-service schools as well as the distribution of full-service schools.

 

In respect of Learners with Severe and Profound Intellectual Disabilities (LSPID), the Portfolio Committee was presented with an outline of the following:

• Allocations and MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework) Estimates;
• Access to Education;
• Special Care Centres, Caregivers and children enrolled in Special Care Centres per province;
• Provision of phsyco-social and therapeutic services; and
• Schools piloting the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) Grades R – 5 for Severe Intellectual Disability (SID.)

Mr Ngcobo also touched on some of the positive developments as well as the risk and threats emanating from monitoring and support visits to schools. He further alluded to issues pertaining to the provisioning of ICT’s and other Assistive Technologies in Special Schools. In respect of South African Sign Language (SASL), Mr Ngcobo spoke on the SASL CAPS and statistics on the number of schools for the Deaf, learner enrolment as well as provisioning for learners with visual impairments for all provinces.

In respect of Learner Transport for Special Schools, the Portfolio Committee received a detailed breakdown of the policy and management of leaner transport for the various provinces – as well as the key challenges relating to learner transport.

Mr Ngcobo also presented on the following:

• Structural Changes to give effect to Section 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities;
• Institutional Arrangements;
• Why existing Residential Special Schools in the North West do not constitute the segregation and institutionalisation of children with disabilities contemplated in General Comment 4;
• Inclusive Education and Training System;
• Implementation Matrix in the White Paper 6 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Integration of Disability Rights Awareness Discourse in the Curriculum;
• Access to ECD for Children with Disabilities; and
• Disability Specific Intervention and Support Services.  

The Department was of the view that the Basic Education sector believed that every learner mattered and was thus committed to building an inclusive education and training system, which would ensure that no learner was left behind. Significant steps had been taken in this regard, although challenges remained given the size of the backlog with which the democratic administration has had to deal. However, there was promise that the current initiatives would lead to a better basic education system for all our children.

1. Recommendations by Portfolio Committee

• In respect to the issue of safety and security, it is important that the department provides support to the special schools to ensure that effective quality education is implemented in all special schools.
• That the department adheres to timelines in response to recommendations pointed out by SAHRC
• The department needs to strengthen collaboration   with other sister departments   so that the challenges highlighted are addressed as per recommendations
• To bring effect to the issue of learner’s ID documents, it is recommended that the Department of Home Affairs visits the special schools to provide support for leaners who need ID documents

 

Report to be considered.