The lack of support for special needs schools in KwaZulu-Natal has caught the eye of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education that has since called for an enhancement of support in such schools.
The committee visited schools in the King Cetshwayo Educational District as part of its week-long oversight programme in the province.
The chairperson of the committee, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, said that while they appreciated the support the province provided to these schools, gaps remained which must be filled with urgency.
“Interventions such as the provision of specialist support staff such as educational psychologists and specialist nurses to these schools is necessary to ensure adequate care. And curriculum delivery is critical and should be enhanced urgently,” Mbinqo-Gigaba said.
The committee also found that the shortage of support staff was an “impediment preventing quality learning and teaching at these schools”.
It added that the district-based support specific to these schools was also lacking, as most of the current staff were not equipped to cater for the needs of these pupils.
“Furthermore, budget increases for assisting devices and modified transportation should be high on the department’s list of considerations,” Mbinqo-Gigaba said.
The committee also emphasised the need to collaborate with the Department of Labour to enable the absorption of learners in sheltered employment factories to enable those with special needs to live meaningful lives with gainful employment. The committee welcomed collaboration with private companies that have shown a willingness to employ learners from these schools following assessment.
Meanwhile, the committee has called for a focus on critical subjects such as maths and science. It said that this would ensure the system produced dynamic learners who were able to respond to the needs of a contemporary economy.
The committee raised concerns that there was a low uptake of and achievement in these critical subjects and called for strategies to address concerns about the low pass rates in these subjects.
Despite these concerns, the committee said it was encouraged by the assurance that strategies were in place at school level to improve performance in those subjects.
The committee re-emphasised its praise for the 83% National Senior Certificate pass rate in KwaZulu-Natal, an increase of 6.2%, the highest increase in the country.
Similar to challenges seen in schools in the Zululand Educational District, stakeholders in King Cetshwayo called for the urgent resolution of the transport challenges in the province.
The lack of quality transport for learners, with some as young as 6 forced to hitch-hike to school, was detrimental to the desired outcome of the right to education for every learner, the committee said.
The committee will be in the Harry Gwala Education District today to visit four schools and assess school readiness for the 2023 academic year.
Education