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4 August 2008

Programme Director
Leadership of SANASE
Delegates to conference
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen

It is not often that one gets the opportunity to address a gathering of stakeholders who are passionate about the plight of our 'special learners'. These learners are special in that, not of their own making, they are burdened with barriers to learning and development.

I am therefore truly privileged to be among people who are dedicating their lives to ensuring that the educational needs of these learners are met and that their rights to education are promoted and protected. I believe that our primary objective is to ensure that the issues of special needs education remain firmly entrenched in national mainstream education discourse and debate.

The word 'mainstream' triggers emotional responses and even has negative connotations attached to it. To some of us it connotes an insensitive education system that says 'one size fits all'. The theme of your conference:

'Inclusion, Access and Support' becomes particularly pertinent as it will assist us to contextualise the notion of 'mainstream' or the creation of a seamless education system.

The current government has passed legislation and adopted policies that aim at transforming the education landscape. What immediately springs to mind is the White Paper 6 (Special Needs Education, Building the Inclusive Education and Training System). The legislative mandate requires of the education department to level the playing field by creating equal educational opportunities for all and accommodating the full range of all our learners' needs.

The legislative and policy framework calls upon us to take into cognisance the environmental, social and economic factors that hinder learners from learning.

As you will probably agree with me, there is a paradigm shift from focussing on learners weaknesses to recognising and accentuating their strengths.

Inclusive education also amongst other issues:
* Acknowledges that all children can learn or develop, if provided with the proper support and of course love!!
* Advocates for the establishment of enabling education structures, systems and devising of adaptive methodologies to meet the education needs of all children.
* Acknowledges and respects differences in learners be they attributable to; gender, age, ethnicity, class, disability or other factors.
* Perhaps the most significant principle that underpins inclusive education is the changing of discriminatory attitudes emanating from prejudice (cultural, racial etc) towards our learners. These attitudes have a direct bearing on the degree of access to education by our special learners. No longer should any parent hide a disabled child and deny them education because our children are an asset and not a liability in spite of the different emotional, physical, intellectual, psycho-social and other challenges that they experience.

In dealing with the theme on inclusion, access and support, we need to examine the current features of the provisioning of special needs education in the Gauteng province in particular and the country in general.

In the Education Budget Speech to the Gauteng Legislature on the 24 June 2008, I alluded to the following features of the Special Needs Education system in our province:
* There are 114 special schools which are inclusive of independent schools.
* 35 879 learners with various disabilities are being provided for in the above special schools Exceptional Learners with Special Educational Needs (ELSEN).
* 2861 educators provide education to the learners in special schools (ELSEN).
* In the 2008/09 financial year the increase in Programme 4: Special Schools is 14 percent over the last financial year.

This increased allocation makes provision for subsidies for cross-border schools that we 'inherited 'from Mpumalanga and the North West provinces. This increase in financial resources is also meant to support curriculum and policy interventions in special schools.

One of the key strategies for establishing an effective inclusive education system in Gauteng is the qualitative improvement of special schools/institutions for the learners that we serve. There will be a phased conversion of special schools to resource centres that will provide professional support to neighbourhood schools. These resource centres will 'train' educators from the 'mainstream' to handle our 'special learners'. The (SBSTs) District-based Support Teams will be integrated into the process to support schools.

Whereas an increased allocation provides a basis for the strengthening of all special schools, there is an urgent need to target resourcing for special schools that have historically been disadvantaged. This year these schools will continue to benefit from the top slice (a special financial allocation for redress) that also caters for assistive devices (teaching aids e.g. Braille etc) in line with approved business plans.

Challenges and successes in implementation:

We as government concede upfront that services and facilities are still inadequate. Some learners are unable to access schools because of lack of transport. However, the provisioning of transport is another area that has benefited from the increased allocation. Schools are expected to spend 30 percent more on transport.

During this financial year we will also be working with the national department on a number of areas aimed at strengthening special schools. This month a national and provincial team will be visiting special schools to review the norms for the funding of special schools. Is will also compliment work being done on the development of standards for programme delivery within special schools.

Some special schools have raised matters related to the National Curriculum Statements as they apply to special schools. This matter has been escalated for discussion at Heads of Education Committee (HEDCOM) and Council of Education Ministers (CEM) level. In the light of these discussions, I will expect the curriculum sections in the General Education and Further Education and Training bands to make inclusive education a reality. They must deal with accommodations/adaptations/flexibility in curriculum delivery and also enhance the competency of educators in developing and implementing learning programmes.

A second key strategy for ensuring access is the overhauling of the process of identifying, assessing and enrolling learners in special schools and its replacement by one that acknowledges the central role played by teachers and parents.

The training and implementation of the Screening Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) of learning needs was started during the first term of this year.

This will also be the main vehicle for increasing capacity for implementation and monitoring and evaluation of inclusive practices within District based and Institution Based Support Teams (DBSTs and ILSTs).

In addition to the above measures , the full resourcing and conversion of the four identified Full Service Schools will be taken a step forward during this term with the provision of assistive devices and specialised equipment required. It is intended that the special schools identified for conversion to resource centres will also benefit from this allocation.

Conclusion:

I salute SANASE for your courage to prick our collective national conscience, for being the constant champions and consistent advocates of the rights of our disabled children. Thank you for continually reminding us that these children deserve a place in the sun and that we dare not and must never ignore them.

You have provided space for parents, the primary care-givers to their children, to also be the pivotal resource in the education system. It is our collective responsibility to recognise that disability is not synonymous with inability. Our young democracy provides space for all South Africans to express their Godgiven talent, skills and abilities for the betterment of all.

We have a mammoth task in our hands, as we put shoulder to the wheel to make our inclusive education system work for all our children. It should be 'all hands on deck' as we go on a mass identification and mobilisation of out-of-school disabled children and youth of school – going age and also intensify our advocacy and information programmes in support of the inclusion model.

Institutions of higher learning, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), other organs of civil society, community structures should be involved in this campaign. We will do this because we are a compassionate nation led by a caring government.

Thank you

Issued by: Department of Education, Gauteng Provincial Government
4 August 2008
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.education.gpg.gov.za)