The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has written to Limpopo Director- General (DG) Nape Nchabeleng to seek clarity on the progress made in fulfilling commitments made in a 2018 Office of the Premier report regarding the state of special schools in the province.
This comes after an oversight inspection at Helen Franz Special School and Tshilidzini Special School revealed the dilapidated, under-resourced and inhumane conditions special learners are being exposed to.
See photos here, here, here, here, here and here.
Helen Franz Special School:
- Major staff shortages, crucial posts such as a nurse, physiotherapist and speech therapist have been vacant for years. The Office of the Premier committed to fill these posts in 2018 and they remain vacant to date.
- The house parents that are employed by the School Governing Body (SGB) are forced to work double shifts due to the chronic understaffing.
- The school, which focuses on learners with physical impairments, shower infrastructure is not accessible and user friendly for people with physical disabilities.
- There are no rails in the showers, and the house parents have resorted to using plastic chairs in the showers and urinals to assist learners.
- The over 300 primary and high school learners only have access to one functional block of toilets as the other block has been permanently closed off due to years of disrepair.
- There is only one washing machine and one dryer in working condition.
- The clinic under-resourced and not fully functional.
- There is also a shortage of rubber parts for crutches.
- The overburdened Helen Franz Hospital has had to provide assistance and wheelchairs.
- The social worker does not have a vehicle which presents a challenge in carrying out home visits to the learners.
- Female learners at the school have no access to sanitary towels, it is disheartening to note that the Office of the Premier and other departments do not prioritise special schools when they distribute sanitary towels.
The dilapidated infrastructure and aged sanitation facilities at Helen Franz Special School is clearly concerning and also brings into question how the school has managed to maintain the necessary hygiene standards necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tshilidzini Special School has also not been spared.
- Suffers from serious staff shortages and the posts of a speech therapist and occupational therapist have been vacant for years and still have not been filled despite commitments by Office of the Premier in 2018.
- The school also has aged and dilapidated infrastructure that is inappropriate for the learners. The clinic at the school does not meet proper standards and is also under resourced.
- There is also no emergency room and sluice room.
The DA urges the DG Nape Nchabeleng to urgently intervene in these appalling conditions at the affected schools and provide feedback on the progress made by Office of the Premier to ensure that children with disabilities have access to dignified education facilities.
We have raised concerns over conditions at special schools in the past to the Department of Education, Premier Chupu Mathabatha and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) but to no avail. The 2018 report came at the request of the DA after numerous oversight inspections revealed the dire situation of special schools in Limpopo.
The DA is committed to ensuring the provision of quality education for our special need learners in a dignified manner and conducive environment.