By Levy Masiteng 

The Vodacom Foundation, supported by the Gauteng Department of Education, has invested R2 million in the School of Excellence model at Usizolwethu Special Needs School in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni, to strengthen digital learning for pupils with intellectual disabilities.

Vodacom said the investment would equip the school with advanced information and communications technology infrastructure, including a fully installed local area network and special needs equipment.

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The upgrades will also include renovated learning laboratories, a secure storage facility, reliable connectivity and a solar power solution to support uninterrupted learning.

The school will also benefit from the development of a vegetable garden intended to promote nutrition and sustainability within the school community.

“We are very pleased to be launching another School of Excellence. This partnership demonstrates the power of collaboration in creating a better, more inclusive, and sustainable future,” said Director of External Affairs for Vodacom South Africa, Taki Netshitenzhe,.

“Public-private partnerships like this are effective in addressing societal challenges at scale and building pathways for young people to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.”

According to Vodacom, it has invested more than R40 million in 39 Schools of Excellence across South Africa to date, supporting major infrastructure upgrades such as connected learning centres, improved safety measures, sanitation upgrades, the removal of pit latrines and repairs to damaged school infrastructure.

The programme currently supports about 40,000 learners across the 39 schools nationwide. Vodacom said each School of Excellence is strategically located alongside an Early Childhood Development Centre, a Teacher Centre and a Vodacom ICT Academy to create a support ecosystem for learners, educators and surrounding communities.

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Usizolwethu Special Needs School principal Nombulelo Skosana welcomed the partnership, saying it would significantly enhance learning opportunities for the school’s learners.

“We are profoundly grateful to Vodacom for the partnership and the immense opportunities this educational ecosystem will unlock for our learners, educators, and the wider Daveyton community,” Skosana said.

“The infrastructure, connectivity, and support systems implemented by Vodacom with the support of the Gauteng Education Department will greatly enrich our teaching and learning environment, preparing our students to thrive in an increasingly digital world.”

The investment comes as South Africa’s special needs education sector continues to face systemic pressures.

Last month, Inside Education spoke to Jackie Selley, an occupational therapist and principal at the Centre for Autism, Research and Education (CARE), a private and independent special needs school in Orange Grove, Johannesburg.

The centre supports children with autism from 18 months to 21-years-old.

Selley said many learners arrive at CARE after struggling in mainstream or remedial schools, or after spending years at home without adequate support following their diagnosis.

“Let’s say parents realise their child’s different at three, and by the time we get them into a school that can support them at seven, we’ve lost four years of supporting their development,” she said.

“The process isn’t streamlined enough to help these children and these families. We’re losing three years of a child’s life.”

According to Selley, the main solution lies in stronger investment in human resources, including more therapists, educational psychologists and specialised schools.

“If the government were able to allocate more money to human resources, there could be enough therapists, more special needs schools, and well-trained educational psychologists at schools,” she said.

“The solution lies not in sympathy, but in investment.”

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She added that accessing diagnosis and school placement can be a long and expensive process for many families.

It was reported that diagnosis through Gauteng provincial hospitals can take between six months and a year, while educational psychologist assessments, often required for school placement, can cost between R3,000 and R12,000.

Even after those steps, placements in special needs schools can take an additional one to two years because of long waiting lists.

Selley said that autism-specific schools remain limited outside Gauteng, with provinces such as Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal facing particularly long waiting lists.

Vodacom said its Daveyton initiative forms part of its long-term commitment to inclusive, quality education and support for the government’s Education Vision 2030.

INSIDE EDUCATION