THE EDUCATION DESK: No data, no deadline, no dedicated funding: SA’s blind and deaf children face an ECD crisis

South Africa does not know how many blind and deaf children are missing out on early childhood development – and the government cannot say when it will have a national framework in place to ensure they are included. This comes a quarter of a century after the gazetting of a government blueprint on inclusive education.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has acknowledged that it lacks reliable national data showing how many children with disabilities – aged zero to five – are outside registered ECD programmes. There is also no separate, ring-fenced funding allocation specifically aimed at ensuring children with disabilities can access early learning.

The revelations come as the department continues work on a national approach to inclusive ECD, four years after ECD responsibility was transferred from the Department of Social Development to Basic Education.

Concerns were spotlighted on 4 August, when the Limpopo Education Department appeared before the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Basic Education . MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya and officials were asked by members of Parliament about their plans to ensure deaf and blind children accessed inclusive ECD programmes. Currently, deaf and blind children are often placed alongside pupils with other special needs, in regular ECDs, without access to teachers specifically trained to support hearing or visual impairments.

It quickly became clear the concerns extended beyond Limpopo. “The province has engaged DBE on the need to provide [a] National Framework. The issue was discussed in the interprovincial meeting to agree on a uniform approach,” Limpopo education deputy director-general for corporate governance, coordination and support, Calvin Molongoana, told MPs, adding that the provincial department had begun collating an audit of special schools offering Grade R.

The issue of access will be a key focus area during a Limpopo ECD Indaba on 1 September, according to the department. The gathering will bring together stakeholders to find solutions to the challenges of inclusive education.

MPs expressed alarm, especially chairperson Joy Maimela, who said the current situation was exclusionary and could not be rationalised. “We need to have a discussion with DBE because I believe this is a national issue,” she said. “I was in pain listening to ECD teachers telling us that deaf and blind learners only start around age seven to learn a language. That is the first time they learn to communicate; they live in their own world until they are seven.”

Responding to EdDesk questions about why a national framework has not yet been finalised and when they expected it to be ready for implementation, the DBE said it is still considering a review of Education White Paper 6 , as well as reports commissioned by the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. It was thus “premature” to provide final dates.

The White Paper on Special Needs Education was adopted 25 years ago.