20 May 2025 

The ANC Study Group on Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities is outraged and gravely concerned by the most recent reports highlighting appalling conditions in Special Needs Schools across KwaZulu-Natal. However, these reports are not anomalies—they are the latest in a series of submissions and testimonies from parents, educators, and institutions nationwide, collectively exposing the systemic neglect and chronic underinvestment in the education and wellbeing of learners with special needs. 

These are not isolated cases. They are a national crisis. The alarming finding that 80% of hostel-residing learners are on chronic medication without adequate medical oversight is a chilling reminder of how these children are being failed by the very system meant to protect and nurture them. From severe staff shortages and inadequate infrastructure to untrained educators, unreliable access, and exclusionary environments, it is clear that inclusive education is not being realized as promised. 

This ongoing regression is a betrayal of South Africa’s democratic foundations and hardwon freedoms. It is a direct contradiction of our constitutional vision, as captured in Section 29(1) of the Constitution, which affirms that everyone has the right to a basic education, including adult basic education. It also undermines the aspirations of the Freedom Charter, which boldly declared that “the doors of learning and culture shall be opened to all.” 

Furthermore, the White Paper 6: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System and the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities both lay out a framework that commits us to: 

• Dismantling segregation in education based on disability, 
• Providing equitable access to quality education for all learners, 
• Supporting learners through inclusive full-service and special schools, 
• Ensuring early identification and support interventions, 
• Empowering educators to respond to diverse learning needs, and 
• Establishing infrastructure, funding, and human resources to uphold inclusive learning.  These policies are not aspirational ideals—they are binding blueprints for justice, and their continued neglect amounts to a dereliction of duty. We therefore issue an urgent and uncompromising call to action:
   
• To the MEC for Education in KwaZulu-Natal, and all provincial Premiers and Education Departments: Act now. Vacancies must be filled, support systems strengthened, and conditions improved immediately. 
• To the National Department of Basic Education and the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities: Align practice with policy—monitor, enforce, and fund inclusive education urgently. 
• To local government and municipalities: Prioritise and support Special Needs Schools in every district. 
• To all social partners, civil society, and advocacy groups: We urge your collective solidarity in pushing for a national overhaul of special needs education. 
• To communities and families: Let us rise to ensure no child is left behind. Their dignity is our collective responsibility.  The time for rhetoric is over. The time for coordinated courageous, and compassionate action is now. We must restore the dignity, rights, and futures of learners with special needs not as a favor, but as a fundamental obligation rooted in our Constitution, our liberation history, and our shared humanity. Issued by: ANC Study Group on Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities For media enquiries: Hon. Tshehofatso Meagan Chauke-Adonis ANC Whip for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities  073 981 1936  Tchauke@parliament.gov.za