By Johnathan Paoli
The African National Congress’ study group on women, youth, and persons with disabilities has condemned what it calls a “national crisis” in the country’s special needs schools, following disturbing revelations about conditions in several KwaZulu-Natal institutions.
Group whip Tshehofatso Chauke-Adonis described a bleak picture of chronic underinvestment, staff shortages, poor infrastructure and systemic neglect of learners with special needs, not just in KwaZulu-Natal, but across South Africa.
“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,” Chauke-Adonis said in a statement.
Reports from parents, educators and advocacy groups have highlighted overcrowded dormitories, broken sanitation facilities, inaccessible learning environments and a lack of trained support staff, including nurses, therapists and special education professionals.
The ANC emphasised that the continued regression in special needs education directly contradicts Section 29(1) of the Constitution, which guaranteed the right to basic education for all, including adult basic education.
The group also invoked the Freedom Charter’s promise that “the doors of learning and culture shall be opened to all”.
Chauke-Adonis described the ongoing neglect as a betrayal of South Africa’s democratic foundations and hard-won freedoms.
“These are not aspirational ideals. They are binding blueprints for justice, and their continued neglect amounts to a dereliction of duty,” she said.
In particular, she criticised the lack of implementation of White Paper 6: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System and the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Both documents provide a policy framework for dismantling segregation, supporting full-service and special schools, empowering educators and ensuring equitable infrastructure and resource allocation.
In response to the escalating crisis, the study group issued a series of urgent demands.
It appealed to the KZN education MEC Sipho Hlomuka as well as all premiers to immediately fill vacancies, improve infrastructure and strengthen support systems in special needs schools.
Chauke-Adonis called on both the departments of Basic Education and Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities to facilitate rapid alignment of practice with policy, urging them to enforce, monitor and fund inclusive education frameworks.
In terms of municipalities and local governments, the group said a prioritisation of support for the schools across every district was needed, ensuring they were adequately resourced and maintained.
The group requested collective solidarity and public mobilisation to demand a national overhaul of special needs education, as well as encouraging parents and guardians to hold authorities accountable, raise their voices and organise in defence of their children’s rights.
The whip emphasised that the plight of learners with special needs was not a marginal issue, but one that was at the heart of South Africa’s commitment to justice and human dignity.
“We must restore the dignity, rights and futures of learners with special needs — not as a favour, but as a fundamental obligation rooted in our Constitution, our liberation history, and our shared humanity,” Chauke-Adonis said.
As public outrage grows and scrutiny intensifies, she highlighted the group’s call as a turning point in the fight to ensure that every child, regardless of ability, has the right to learn, grow and thrive in a safe and supportive environment.
INSIDE EDUCATION
