Message by MEC Cameron Dugmore to the Conference of the National Association for Persons with Cerebral Palsy, 16 May 2006

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY of government to ensure that each and every learner, including those who suffer from cerebral palsy, acquires the knowledge, skills and values he or she needs to lead a fulfilling life as an empowered and productive citizen and to contribute to the development of the province and the country.

This was the message this morning of Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore to delegates attending a conference, hosted by the National Association for Persons with Cerebral Palsy, taking place from Sunday 14 to Wednesday 17 May 2006 at the a hotel in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town.

The conference is discussing wide-ranging issues related to the treatment of people with disabilities, the role of education and the curriculum in preparing such learners for the world of work, and economic empowerment.

It is being attended and addressed by health practitioners, academics and several experts in the field. Officials from the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) are also playing a leading role.

In his keynote address this morning, MEC Dugmore said the reason why our Premier Ebrahim Rasool says we must build this province as a "Home for All", is so that everyone can participate in the life of the province, and enjoy the benefits of what this province has to offer, including those with different abilities and special needs.

He said that based on the Constitution of our country and the legislative reform packages in the last few years, a new vision for the education and training of learners with barriers to learning, namely inclusive education, has emerged.

Said MEC Dugmore: "Inclusive education is based on the principles of human rights and social justice for all learners, equal access to education, support for all learners with barriers to learning and community responsiveness.

"The main underlying principle is education for all in a single, integrated, inclusive education system, where mainstream and special schools do not function as two separate entities, but as equal partners in a single, inclusive setting.

"To put inclusive education into practice, the WCED has already taken or is implementing the following steps:

• An infrastructure has been established through the creation of multi-functional district support teams, as described in Education White Paper 6, which consist of members from various disciplines, such as specialised support services, curriculum support and institutional management.

• Some mainstream schools have been, or are being developed into full-service schools to cater for a range of learning needs for learners requiring low to moderate levels of support.

• Institutional-level support teams (education support teams (ESTs)) have been established at most mainstream schools to support the learning and teaching process by identifying and addressing the needs of learners, educators and the institution.

• Learning support teachers, whose services focus on the provision of support to educators regarding the curriculum, alternative assessment, developing learning material and identifying and addressing barriers to learning, have been appointed.

• Special schools are being gradually transformed into resource centres. They have a pivotal role to play in the implementation of inclusive education and will therefore be strengthened to serve as resource centres and to accommodate learners with barriers to learning requiring high intensity educational support."

MEC Dugmore said the key function of special schools as resource centres will be to provide physical resources, specialised material and professional support to all concerned - including full-service schools and other mainstream schools - in respect of, among others, the curriculum, assessment and instruction.

"This simply means that the specialised knowledge and expertise of teachers and other staff members at special schools will be shared with mainstream schools and that the support and the educational services of special schools will be integrated into that of the district-based support teams on education district level.

"I personally believe that the needs of learners with disabilities have often been neglected and disregarded in the past. We therefore need to be passionate about serving every school and child – but we must be more passionate about making a real difference in the lives of the learners who experience barriers to learning.

"It is estimated that at least 40% of the learners in South African schools experience barriers to learning and development, and need low, moderate or high-level specialised education support.

"In the so-called developed countries, only about 12 to 15% of the learners experience barriers to learning. In South Africa there are therefore many more learners experiencing barriers to learning than in the developed world, while our resources are much more limited than the resources available in the developed world," said MEC Dugmore.

For enquiries, contact Gert Witbooi:  082 550 3938, or gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za.