"Children with Disabilities still do not have Equal Access to Education in South Africa,"
By Louise van den Bergh
“All children, including those with disabilities, have a right to free and compulsory primary education, and to secondary education and further education or training. All people with disabilities have the right to continue learning and to learn and progress on an equal basis with all people.”
NATURE
In South Africa, there is a huge lack of educational opportunities for learners with disabilities. Many learners with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities do not have access to basic education.
In 2007, South Africa was one of the first countries to ratify the UN Disability Rights Treaty, which requires the government to promote an inclusive education system. This ensures that all children learn together and acquire the same skills on an equal basis, that barriers to learning are removed, and that children with disabilities get adequate support to prevent them from falling behind. However, children with disabilities still do not have equal access to education.
Many disabled students are not able to access quality education because they are on waiting lists for schools that cater to students with special needs. According to a report published in 2015 by Human Rights Watch, approximately 5,552 children with disabilities are on waiting lists and are excluded from South Africa’s education system. This is despite the government claiming it has met the United Nations Millennium Development goal of enrolling all children into primary school by 2015.
CAUSES
This is due to widespread discrimination against children with disabilities in school enrolment decisions.
Public schools in South Africa are able to determine which students they are able to enroll and so many reject the enrollment of children with disabilities and face no consequences for doing so. In cases where students are able to enroll in public schools, they receive low quality education in poor learning environments, as schools often lack the resources necessary to effectively teach people with disabilities.
Therefore, the students who are rejected from public schools are referred by school officials to special schools that cater to students with disabilities. However, these schools are limited in number and require fees. This system forces students to wait for up to four years for placement in a special school.
Those who attend special schools often must pay fees that children without disabilities do not. There is also an issue surrounding transportation costs, as special schools are so limited in number that many are located far away from students. Therefore, many parents are unable to send their children to school because they cannot afford to pay the fees and transportation costs of schools so far away from their homes.
A major barrier to the effective implementation of inclusive education is the lack of appropriate training for teachers. There is an absence of understanding and practical training about children’s needs according to their disabilities and an absence of teachers willing to teach children with disabilities.
However, the main problem lies in the failure of society to recognize the rights of disabled people as equal to those who do not have disabilities.
Therefore, there is a lack of community support in encouraging acceptance for children with disabilities in public schools.
EFFECTS
This results in children with disabilities entering the school system much later than children without disabilities. Many drop out or finish school without successfully completing basic education due to the poor quality of education in both public and special schools.
If there is no access to a special school, parents often have to hire a full-time assistant to help their child cope at a public school.
Due to all the issues surrounding enrolling children with disabilities in schools, many children end up not going to school at all. This causes major problems at home as parents are unable to work and have to stay at home to look after their child. This results in parents not earning an income, being dependent on grants and losing their financial independence. The child, on the other hand, does not get an education and loses his or her chance to one day gain financial independence.
There is often a lack of preparation for life after basic education. The consequences of a lack of inclusive education are most visible when children with disabilities leave school, most staying at home after finishing compulsory education. One of the consequences is that many lack basic life skills needed to enter the mainstream world.
Lack of inclusion also means that some children with disabilities have no choice but to move to neighbouring provinces or travel far away if they have been referred to special schools.
Most importantly, many children with disabilities do not get the opportunity to reach their full potential or to develop the skills needed to effectively contribute to society and therefore become more stigmatised according to their disability.
Many gain a dependence on social grants for most of their adult lives and their families are often overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for them which impacts hugely on their quality of life.
THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA
The role of the media in portraying this human rights violation has been mostly positive, but there are some negative aspects.
The media has played a crucial role in raising awareness of the rights of children with disabilities, covering issues relating to this topic and by holding the government accountable for failing to do what was needed to be done in order to improve the situation.
The media has helped to encourage discussion involving the rights of children with disabilities and their right to education and has acted as a source of information to report on the recent news surrounding it and to bring the issue to the public.
However, I feel that there is not as much media coverage on this human rights violation as there should be.
Also, there is always the issue of how the media portrays children with disabilities, sometimes contributing to the stigma and misunderstanding by naturalising perceptions of disabled people. This can create a negative effect on how this issue is portrayed and can affect the way people think about the violation.
Having said that, if stereotypes and misconceptions are avoided and if careful consideration is taken to the language used to describe children with disabilities then all in all, the media has played a positive role in depicting this violation.
THE ROLE OF CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENT IN RESOLVING THE ISSUE
The government can help to resolve this issue by ensuring that all children with disabilities have access to equal opportunities to learn and benefit from a quality education.
They can adopt a new policy to make sure that all learners with disabilities are given the opportunity to complete basic education and have equal opportunity to go to public schools.
They can require that all public schools should have reasonable accommodation for children with severe learning disabilities.
They can help to remove school fees as well as other financial barriers that prevent children with disabilities from going to school.
Lastly, they can help by collecting and regularly publishing waiting lists of children with disabilities to keep track of the status of enrollment.
Citizens can also play an important role in resolving the issue by helping to increase public awareness and by keeping families and communities informed about rights.
They can help to provide adequate transportation for children with disabilities and can raise funds for parents struggling to pay the fees of special schools.
They can encourage ongoing teacher-training for children with disabilities and can promote the inclusive education policy in schools.
They can help to develop teaching assistant programmes that can provide classroom support for those struggling and they can also help to change the attitudes of teachers regarding the teaching of children with disabilities.
Siblings with a Mission is an international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
By Louise van den Bergh
“All children, including those with disabilities, have a right to free and compulsory primary education, and to secondary education and further education or training. All people with disabilities have the right to continue learning and to learn and progress on an equal basis with all people.”
NATURE
In South Africa, there is a huge lack of educational opportunities for learners with disabilities. Many learners with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities do not have access to basic education.
In 2007, South Africa was one of the first countries to ratify the UN Disability Rights Treaty, which requires the government to promote an inclusive education system. This ensures that all children learn together and acquire the same skills on an equal basis, that barriers to learning are removed, and that children with disabilities get adequate support to prevent them from falling behind. However, children with disabilities still do not have equal access to education.
Many disabled students are not able to access quality education because they are on waiting lists for schools that cater to students with special needs. According to a report published in 2015 by Human Rights Watch, approximately 5,552 children with disabilities are on waiting lists and are excluded from South Africa’s education system. This is despite the government claiming it has met the United Nations Millennium Development goal of enrolling all children into primary school by 2015.
CAUSES
This is due to widespread discrimination against children with disabilities in school enrolment decisions.
Public schools in South Africa are able to determine which students they are able to enroll and so many reject the enrollment of children with disabilities and face no consequences for doing so. In cases where students are able to enroll in public schools, they receive low quality education in poor learning environments, as schools often lack the resources necessary to effectively teach people with disabilities.
Therefore, the students who are rejected from public schools are referred by school officials to special schools that cater to students with disabilities. However, these schools are limited in number and require fees. This system forces students to wait for up to four years for placement in a special school.
Those who attend special schools often must pay fees that children without disabilities do not. There is also an issue surrounding transportation costs, as special schools are so limited in number that many are located far away from students. Therefore, many parents are unable to send their children to school because they cannot afford to pay the fees and transportation costs of schools so far away from their homes.
A major barrier to the effective implementation of inclusive education is the lack of appropriate training for teachers. There is an absence of understanding and practical training about children’s needs according to their disabilities and an absence of teachers willing to teach children with disabilities.
However, the main problem lies in the failure of society to recognize the rights of disabled people as equal to those who do not have disabilities.
Therefore, there is a lack of community support in encouraging acceptance for children with disabilities in public schools.
EFFECTS
This results in children with disabilities entering the school system much later than children without disabilities. Many drop out or finish school without successfully completing basic education due to the poor quality of education in both public and special schools.
If there is no access to a special school, parents often have to hire a full-time assistant to help their child cope at a public school.
Due to all the issues surrounding enrolling children with disabilities in schools, many children end up not going to school at all. This causes major problems at home as parents are unable to work and have to stay at home to look after their child. This results in parents not earning an income, being dependent on grants and losing their financial independence. The child, on the other hand, does not get an education and loses his or her chance to one day gain financial independence.
There is often a lack of preparation for life after basic education. The consequences of a lack of inclusive education are most visible when children with disabilities leave school, most staying at home after finishing compulsory education. One of the consequences is that many lack basic life skills needed to enter the mainstream world.
Lack of inclusion also means that some children with disabilities have no choice but to move to neighbouring provinces or travel far away if they have been referred to special schools.
Most importantly, many children with disabilities do not get the opportunity to reach their full potential or to develop the skills needed to effectively contribute to society and therefore become more stigmatised according to their disability.
Many gain a dependence on social grants for most of their adult lives and their families are often overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for them which impacts hugely on their quality of life.
THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA
The role of the media in portraying this human rights violation has been mostly positive, but there are some negative aspects.
The media has played a crucial role in raising awareness of the rights of children with disabilities, covering issues relating to this topic and by holding the government accountable for failing to do what was needed to be done in order to improve the situation.
The media has helped to encourage discussion involving the rights of children with disabilities and their right to education and has acted as a source of information to report on the recent news surrounding it and to bring the issue to the public.
However, I feel that there is not as much media coverage on this human rights violation as there should be.
Also, there is always the issue of how the media portrays children with disabilities, sometimes contributing to the stigma and misunderstanding by naturalising perceptions of disabled people. This can create a negative effect on how this issue is portrayed and can affect the way people think about the violation.
Having said that, if stereotypes and misconceptions are avoided and if careful consideration is taken to the language used to describe children with disabilities then all in all, the media has played a positive role in depicting this violation.
THE ROLE OF CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENT IN RESOLVING THE ISSUE
The government can help to resolve this issue by ensuring that all children with disabilities have access to equal opportunities to learn and benefit from a quality education.
They can adopt a new policy to make sure that all learners with disabilities are given the opportunity to complete basic education and have equal opportunity to go to public schools.
They can require that all public schools should have reasonable accommodation for children with severe learning disabilities.
They can help to remove school fees as well as other financial barriers that prevent children with disabilities from going to school.
Lastly, they can help by collecting and regularly publishing waiting lists of children with disabilities to keep track of the status of enrollment.
Citizens can also play an important role in resolving the issue by helping to increase public awareness and by keeping families and communities informed about rights.
They can help to provide adequate transportation for children with disabilities and can raise funds for parents struggling to pay the fees of special schools.
They can encourage ongoing teacher-training for children with disabilities and can promote the inclusive education policy in schools.
They can help to develop teaching assistant programmes that can provide classroom support for those struggling and they can also help to change the attitudes of teachers regarding the teaching of children with disabilities.
Siblings with a Mission is an international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
