Statement by André Gaum, Western Cape Education Minister

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) will start the first phase of a long-term programme this year to ensure access to inclusive education for learners with special education needs.

The national Department of Education published White Paper No. 6 on "Special Needs Education: Building an inclusive education and training system" in 2001 (see here).

This document explains the concepts that support our new approach to inclusive education and training for learners with special needs on a national level.

It also provides the framework for establishing such an education and training system over the short, medium and longer terms.

It is envisaged that this process of building an inclusive education system, and making education institutions accessible, will unfold over the next 20 (or more) years.

The WCED plans to start the first stage of this process this year, by converting three existing schools into Full Service Schools for learners with special needs, in line with the recommendations of the White Paper.

The three schools are Soyisile Primary in Khayelitsha, J.G.Crafford Primary in Beaufort West and Cascade Primary in Mitchell's Plain. We are currently waiting for conditional grant funding from the DoE to begin this work.

The WCED will convert three of our existing schools for learners with special education needs (Elsen schools) into Resource Centres to support these Full Service Schools, also in line with the White Paper's proposals.

The three Elsen schools are the Noluthando School for the Deaf in Khayelitsha, the Klein Karoo School of Skills in Beaufort West, and the Agapé School in Mitchell's Plain.

Our medium-term plan is to establish Full Service Schools and Resource Centres in each of our seven education districts in the Western Cape.

The WCED already has a comprehensive programme in place for learners with special education needs, provided by 75 our Elsen schools and Education Management and Development Centres, and teacher support programmes in public ordinary schools.

Our long-term plan is to convert all of our Elsen schools into Resource Centres, in line with the proposals of the White Paper. We have appointed a specialist in education for learners with special education needs to drive this process, Dr Renata Bouma, who joined us at the start of this year.

Meanwhile, the WCED approaches the issue of physical access to public ordinary schools on a case-by-case basis.

We provide access ramps and other facilities needed by disabled learners in our older schools where they are needed. We equip our new schools with these facilities as a matter of course, in line with national building regulations.