The delegation noted with some satisfaction that a number of advances had been made in the improvement of access and quality of education for learners with special educational needs. These included that, the Provincial Education Departments were progressively identifying mainstream schools for conversion to full-service schools, in line with White Paper 6 and the Department's Action Plan 2014. In the majority of schools visited, the Provincial Education Departments had taken steps to upgrade the physical infrastructure to ensure environmental access for all learners. Efforts were also made to procure assistive devices to support learners with a range of educational needs. The Committee also observed similar improvements in Special Schools. Notwithstanding these achievements, the delegation noted the numerous challenges that still remain. These include the need for further training of teachers and greater access to professional support services, the need for skills training and certification, the late arrival of textbooks and question papers, infrastructure needs of individual schools and transport concerns.