The Eastern Cape Education Department has made strides in ensuring learners with special needs have access to school.
MEC Fundile Gade together with his Inclusive Education Directorate have given 10 buses to 10 special needs schools from 7 education districts within the province. This event took place on Monday the 11th of March 2024 at the Mandla Makupula Education Leadership Institute, with the relevant school principals, district officials and stakeholders in the disability sector present.
According to the Department, the handing over of the vehicles to transport learners with disabilities is an initiative which forms part of the MECs outreach program implemented under the theme “Bonke Ngabethu” in an endeavour to ensure that learners living with disabilities are not marginalized but also given opportunities to be prioritised in all aspects of service delivery in education.
Since 2019, the MEC has handed over 30 buses to 30 of 45 special schools in the province.
“The upcoming administration is obligated to continue with the work to make sure all these schools have proper transport as those learners are not ordinarily accommodated in the public transport,” said Gade.