Hon members, I have been informed that the first question, asked by the hon J C Moloi-Moropa, has been withdrawn.
May I also advise Ministers that when it is Question Time they should be in Parliament on time to answer questions. Hon Minister, you have the floor. [Interjections.] [Applause.] Integrated schooling and its impact on children with special needs
297. Mrs C Dudley (ACDP) asked the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:
(1) Whether she is aware that the needs of some school-going children are not adequately met as they are unable to function in mainstream schools, while they are too high functioning for special needs schools;
(2) whether her department has been monitoring how effective the system of integrated schooling is and what impact it is having on children with special needs; if so, what are the relevant details; if not,
(3) whether she will look into this important aspect of education which has the potential to help or seriously disadvantage many children if not monitored carefully to ensure it accomplishes what it is meant to? NO900E
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Thank you, hon Speaker. Hon Speaker and hon members, my department is aware that there are special problems that are faced by children with special needs. The department is working very closely with the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Social Development to address these concerns. Our department has done a special audit of special schools and has made recommendations to the relevant departments on how we can improve the situation of these facilities. The department is also working closely to ensure that the relevant teachers and personnel at these institutions are trained.
We are also working very hard to ensure that our policy of inclusive education is implemented at our schools. We are working closely with the Department of Social Development to ensure that the early childhood development programme of action ensures that ECD is accessible and includes children with disabilities at that young age.
We are also working closely with the Department of Higher Education, and Training, which has made an amount of R77 million available to ensure that young people with disabilities have access to FET colleges and to higher education. Thank you, hon Speaker.
Thank you, hon Speaker. Hon Minister, the Department of Health's occupational therapists can't actually place intellectually impaired children in special schools at present. They must forward the cases to Special Needs Education Services. This is where there are a lot of problems. Lists of children await attention for up to two years, parents are not contacted, and phones are not answered. There is a sense that people are feeling that they would prefer this situation to be back in the hands of the Department of Health. So, it is a situation that needs to be looked into.
There is also a catch-22 situation, as government will not place special needs teachers in schools unless there are sufficient students, while schools will not accept students without sufficient teachers. So that is another area that will need to be looked into.
Is it possible for me to be sent that special audit and recommendations? I would much appreciate it. Thank you.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Speaker, yes, we will make the special audit available to the hon member. We will also convey the concerns of the hon member to the relevant departments. Thank you.
Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for the answer, Minister. In the 2012-13 annual report, it was reported that the department had produced none of the five reports it had planned for on access to education for children and young people with disabilities. However, the department did indicate that it had conducted an audit of special schools, and I think that the Minister was referring to that when she was answering.
My question, then, is: How has the department utilised the information contained in the special schools audit? The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Speaker, I did say that the department had referred the reports to the relevant departments. We are in discussions with the departments of education and the Department of Social Development.
I have already referred to the programme of action on ECD, which was launched by the Department of Social Development in 2013. This programme will take care of the needs of children with disabilities and special needs.
The Department of Basic Education is also doing a lot already. They are looking at sign language and have already included it in the curriculum that was launched this year. It will be in our schools in 2014. They are also looking at Braille material in our schools. I have already referred to the implementation of the inclusive education policy in our schools. Thank you.
Speaker, I should like to thank the Minister for the comprehensive response. I feel that there is still more that needs to be done with regard to these children in order for them to benefit from ordinary schooling. So, could the Minister tell us what else the department is going to do?
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Speaker, the department has been having consultations with stakeholders on the National Disability Policy, including organisations of people with disabilities. This draft policy is now going to be submitted to Cabinet. We believe that through this policy we will be able to ensure the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
We will also be able to ensure access to education and health and ensure that our policies, our buildings and our transport systems are more accessible for persons with disabilities. We are also working with other departments, including the Department of Transport and the Department of Communications, as well as the Department of Public Works, which has a special budget to ensure that our buildings, including our schools, are accessible, to ensure that we are able to improve universal access to all our buildings, including our schools. Thank you, Chairperson.
Speaker, could the Minister possibly indicate whether her department has conducted any research on the efficacy of mainstreaming children with special needs in South Africa over the past 20 years, and whether the department has considered international best practice of other progressive and developing countries? If so, could the Minister please tell the House about these findings?
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Speaker, one of our responsibilities and part of our mandate is to ensure mainstreaming of the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities. We have begun to ensure that these rights are mainstreamed and we have done surveys and research into the standards and the needs of persons with disabilities. Part of this audit has been precisely to look at these issues.
There is a lot that still needs to be done in South Africa. We know that we have more than 400 000 children with disabilities who are not at school. However, we are working very closely with the Minister of Basic Education to ensure that our schools are accessible. Most importantly, because not all children with disabilities need special schools, only those that have severe disabilities need to attend a special school.
So we are ensuring that the policy on inclusive education is implemented in the country through awareness-raising and educational programmes in our provinces and in our communities. We want our teachers and school principals to work together with the government to ensure that our schools are accessible. Thank you.
Steps to monitor implementation of Child Protection Register
311. Mr M Waters (DA) asked the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:
Since the inception of her department, what steps has she taken to monitor the implementation of the Child Protection Register?