LEBOGANG MAILE | Lessons on inclusive education from Unisa and Gauteng partnership

There are an estimated 240-million children with disabilities worldwide.

While exact numbers for children with disabilities in South Africa vary because official counts differ by definition and age scope, research and advocacy groups estimate that nearly one million children in our country live with functional difficulties.

Research also indicates that up to 90% of children with disabilities may remain uncounted or undiagnosed in formal official registries due to social stigma and geographic barriers.

Research from the National Council for Persons With Disabilities indicates that between 500,000 and 600,000 children with disabilities are estimated to be excluded from the basic education system, with some estimates reaching up to 700,000 or higher. These are sobering statistics that demand reflection.

Like all children, children with disabilities have ambitions and dreams for their futures, the realisation of which necessitates quality education to develop their skills. But they are often out of school due to systemic barriers such as discrimination, lack of trained teachers, and inaccessible infrastructure.

Global data shows that millions of children are excluded because schools fail to adapt to their needs. This failure of adaptability applies to children with disabilities as well as those with neuro-developmental conditions such as autism. While autism is legally and medically classified as a developmental disability, there is an argument that it is primarily a natural neurological difference.

It contends that the disabling part usually comes from living in a society built for neurotypical people that fails to accommodate different sensory and communication needs. Regardless of what side of the argument one is on, there is no divergence on the fact that societal design and systemic exclusion turn bodily variations into disabling disadvantages.

Because societal design is at the heart of disability, which affects children’s schooling, the creation of an enabling teaching and learning environment depends on society coming together to architect sustainable solutions.

This is why partnerships between the government and other stakeholders are important. The collaboration between the Gauteng department of education and the University of South Africa (Unisa) on advancing autism awareness, inclusive education, and neurodiversity research in South Africa is evidence of what making education a public responsibility looks like.

In partnering with academic experts from Unisa and public health sectors to supply schools with specialised sensory tools and curriculum kits, as well as training more than 5,000 teachers and parents to better support neurodiverse pupils, we are able to create better teaching and learning conditions for autistic pupils.

Events such as the seminar themed “Autism and Humanity: Every Life Has Value” that was recently hosted by Unisa provide a platform where local research representation and societal participation anchor solutions to creating a conducive teaching and learning environment for autistic children in our education ecosystem.

A society that treats education as a public good is able to nurture children of all abilities to thrive. It is also able to meaningfully facilitate transformation within and beyond the classroom.

It is not by accident that beyond expanding support systems through the introduction of dedicated autism support units in 35 special schools, the Gauteng government has also established eight autism-specific schools, with half of them being in townships.

It is a recognition that the democratic project is anchored on transformation and equity that is aimed at righting the historical injustice of separate development. Higher learning institutions such as Unisa and all other stakeholders have a role to play in advancing and strengthening this democracy.

And part of this includes bringing an end to a system that robs children with disabilities and neuro-developmental challenges of their right to learn and denies them the chance to take part in their communities.

• Maile is the Gauteng MEC of education and sport, arts, culture and recreation.