R2E CwD

1. R2E CwD Response to Annual Performance Plan on education for children with disabilities

2. Presentation outline • Introduction • Speaking to following programmes • Programme 2: Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring • Programme 3: Teachers, Education Human Resources and Institutional Development • Programme 4: Planning, Information and Assessment • Programme 5: Educational Enrichment Services • Conclusion and Recommendations

3. Introduction • Omission of Annual Performance Plan to address education for children with disabilities in relation to special schools • E.g. Scholar transport not addressed even though raised as strategic priority for 2012/13. • Agree with Honourable Surty (Dep. Min) in relation to importance of promoting inclusive education and that we have policies in place for this

4. Programme 2: Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring • Screening Identification Assessment & Support (SIAS) • Piloting of screening guidelines in Action Plan Milestones • However 100 schools nationally being trained on SIAS is not only completely unrealistic on what has been done, but is also completely unacceptable • Central to this is support the districts provide

5. Programme 3: Teachers, Education Human Resources… • Principal performance contracts • Lack of any skills development and training for teachers in Inclusive Education • Includes managing diversity in classes and disability specific training

6. Programme 4: Planning, Information and Assessment • Over-sized classes and children with disabilities that require support • Out of school children • Performance indicator 7 – 15 years – disproportionality high percentage of those are learners with disabilities • Low percentage of learners in age appropriate grades speaks to the inability of the system to address barriers to learning and learner needs

7. Programme 5: Educational Enrichment Services • Transport constitutes a huge barrier to access education for children with disabilities • Scholar transport is highlighted as strategic priority for 2012/13, yet no mention is made of addressing it in programme 5, nor can we see evidence of any budgetary allocation • Interesting fact: Ca. 10 000 schools are targeted for participation in choral eisteddfods – 100 times the number of schools targeted to receive training on SIAS

8. Conclusion • Acknowledge positive initiatives by the DBE to improve basic education • National schools nutrition programme; • Low and no school fee initiatives, especially at certain special schools; • Reports that NEEDU have published show real insight into challenges in implementation of basic education • Any commend by DBE on implementing recommendations of such reports are welcomed

9. Recommendations • Programme 2: • As a matter of urgency to finalise revised SIAS documentation; • Revise targets for training schools and districts on SIAS • Increase educators’ capacity (not just on literacy, numeracy & science – managing diversity too) as part of the system to improve learner performance • Programme 3: • Important to re-look at criteria for principals’ performance contracts

10. Thank you! • Contact Details: Lorenzo Wakefield Researcher: Children’s Rights Project Community Law Centre University of the Western Cape lwakefield@uwc.ac.za (021) 959 2950 (t)