Children with disabilities should have free education
JOHANNESBURG – Fee-free education for people with disabilities is up for discussion and could, in all likelihood, become a reality.
A group of courageous Johannesburg moms of children with disabilities seized the run-up to International Day of Persons with Disabilities in December last year to launch a petition that calls on the Department of Basic Education to remove school fees for children with disabilities.
The aim of the petition was a plea to enable their children to enjoy the right to an inclusive fee-free basic education.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) South Africa have found that in contrast to the overwhelming majority of children in South Africa who enjoy their constitutional right to free education, children with disabilities still face discriminatory barriers to free education.
“Children with disabilities should be guaranteed equality in the entire process of their education, including meaningful choices and opportunities to be accommodated in free, non-fee paying, mainstream schools,” explained Elin Martinez, an HRW researcher in the Children’s Rights Division.
“To date, too many children with disabilities have to pay school fees because they are needlessly referred to special schools. But even children with disabilities who attend mainstream schools are sometimes forced to pay for that access. Many, if not most parents of children with disabilities cannot afford fees for their children to access school, or even pay for transport to get to schools that are often far away.”
Martinez added, “Our 2015 research found that special schools are not [on] the government’s no fee schools list. Schools on the no-fee list accommodate children from low-income backgrounds – the bulk of South Africa’s [children]. It is not clear why public special schools, which similarly cater for children with disabilities from predominantly low-income backgrounds, are not on the list.”
Martinez quoted a senior official from the Department for Basic Education as saying: “It is time for special schools to be declared no-fee schools and the department needs to make it a priority.” He said this was welcome news and that the government now needed to put words into action, and scrap school fees and additional costs for all children with disabilities.
“It should also fulfil its policy of inclusive education by making sure that children with disabilities can access mainstream schools that are accessible, free, and fully inclusive. Children with disabilities cannot wait any longer for inclusive education.”
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