ONGOING challenges at special needs schools across the province, including Amanzimtoti’s Durban School for the Hearing Impaired, led the South African National Association for Special Education (SANASE) to call on KZN Premier Thami Ntuli to respond to commitments he made in October.

Also read: Parents keep Amanzimtoti’s school for the deaf shut

This came up during a meeting called by SANASE at Khulangolwazi Special School in Wentworth on November 25. This follows the first meeting the premier held with SANASE representatives on October 13, as teachers and other staff at special needs schools had downed tools at the start of the final school term, calling for the Department of Education to address longstanding challenges experienced at special needs schools.

Grievances include inadequate funding that is often late, support staff shortages, infrastructure collapse, and a learner transport crisis.
Following the first meeting with Ntuli in October, the strike was called off after the premier promised to engage the provincial Treasury and the relevant departments and communicate a definitive action plan within seven days.

In a statement, SANASE said that despite multiple written and verbal follow-ups, no feedback or clear course of action has been communicated to the organisation or its member schools.

“Special schools continue to struggle without essential personnel such as cleaners, teacher assistants, hostel staff, drivers, security personnel, administrative assistants, nurses, cooks, and other essential workers. Although learner transport buses were previously issued, the fleet is severely ageing. This has resulted in frequent breakdowns and long maintenance turnaround times, leaving learners stranded at home or having to walk long and unsafe distances,” SANASE said.

It added that this year, four payment tranches of funding were promised, but to date, only half of the annual allocation has been disbursed. SANASE has called on the premier to honour his commitment and ensure immediate disbursement of outstanding subsidies.

It promised to continue advocating for action until sustainable and urgent solutions are implemented.

Questions were sent to both the premier’s office and the Department of Education, but answers had not been received at the time of publication.

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