Two pre-teen brothers from Nellmapius ext. 4 have never set foot in a formal school.

The family of the two boys aged 10 and 11 has been home-schooling the brothers for the past four years while waiting for the Department of Education to place them at a special school that can meet their needs.

The brothers, born with a condition similar to dwarfism, also suffer from dyslexia, a learning disorder in children.

Grandmother Jacobin and uncle Prettyboy Buthelezi took turns teaching the boys the basics of reading, writing and counting.

Uncle Prettyboy said the boys had been attending preschool in Nellmapius but when it was their turn to attend school, they were placed on a waiting list for a special school.

He said the boys are diagnosed with dyslexia, a condition of neurodevelopmental origin that mainly affects the ease with which a person reads, writes and spells, typically recognised as a specific learning disorder in children.

“My nephews need to attend a special school and the Department of Education has asked us to take them for psychological reports,” said Prettyboy.

He said the boys were taken to Dr George Mukhari hospital and the report was sent to the education department, however, it has been years since they were placed on the waiting list.

“My nephews want to go to school like all other children and they have started asking why they were not attending school like the other children,” said Prettyboy.

“The Department of Education is failing us because there are a lot of people who have the same challenge as my nephews and they deserve a better education like any other children,” he said.

Jacobin said: “My grandchildren are suffering from dwarfism as well as dyslexia and desperately need to attend a school that will understand their needs.”

She said the mother, who also has the condition, struggled to find a school that would meet her own needs as a learner and ended up going from school to school.

She was also bullied by other learners because of her size and most schools never bothered to explain to other learners her special needs.

“We have started home-schooling the boys because no one knows when the department would place them in a special school.”

She said they were once referred to a particular special school but it was for learners with severe intellectual disabilities.

“My grandchildren are capable of studying like normal children but they need a school dealing with learners with similar problems,” Jacobin said.

“How long should we wait for the department to place them in a special school?

We have been on the waiting list since before the national lockdown and are still waiting.”

She said there are families in Mamelodi and Nellmapius who have children with similar needs and want help, but don’t know where to start and what is needed for their children to get a better education.

Jacobin said the department needed to start educating the public about special schools for children living with disabilities or dyslexia.

Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said his department only became aware of the need to place the learners during February 2023 therefore and that it is untrue that the case has been dragging on for four years.

He said a spot at Tshegofatsong special school was offered to the learners but the parents were reluctant to take them there.

“Alternative placement options were explored which will be at Transvalia school for learners with special needs,” said Mabona.

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