Date: 31/10/2003
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Mangena: Graduation ceremony of educators for blind and deaf learners
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY MR M MANGENA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, AT THE GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE BLIND, Friday, 31 October 2003
Chairperson, Distinguished Guests, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It gives me great pleasure to speak to you at a time when we are in the process of implementing Education White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System.
At the outset let me acknowledge the commitment, dedication and perseverance of all those who are involved in initiatives to improve the quality of life of persons who experience barriers to learning and development. These barriers to learning include: socio-economic barriers, attitudes, lack of access to basic services, poverty, under-development, factors that place learners at risk, inflexible curriculum, language and communication, inaccessible and unsafe environment, lack of parental recognition and disability.
I also express a particular acknowledgement to those who dedicate a large part of their lives to empower persons with disabilities in a selfless, altruistic, caring and humble manner.
This particular human resource development initiative that brought us here today, is geared at enhancing the skills, knowledge, understanding, and techniques of educators and school managers who are central to the delivery of education to learners who are both blind and deaf.
The Department of Education is encouraged by your efforts and hopes that you sustain them and grow from strength to strength.
The goal of this training "accommodating diversity", is relevant and appropriate, since the Department of Education is at present involved in the rigorous process of taking the first steps of implementation of the policy as outlined in Education White Paper 6.
Inclusive education as a means of transforming society
The publishing of White Paper 6 completes an extraordinary period of seven years of post-1994 policy development and policy making guided by the principles and values of the Constitution. All new policies in education have the common goal of re-integrating our society, which has been torn apart by the ravages of racism. The guiding principles of transformation are reflected in the goals of equity, redress, quality and access.
The segregated nature of society is even more apparent in policies governing the lives of people with disabilities and those who have been channeled into special needs education. Education White Paper 6 provides clear examples of the disparity in spending among racial groups, but also across provinces, and urban and rural contexts. Further, the movement for greater social inclusion of people with disabilities has been too small to gather momentum in our country. Too many children and adults with disabilities are still hidden away in isolation in dark backrooms and sheds or institutionalised from an early age. Many children are refused admission to ordinary neighbourhood schools or even to special schools on the basis of their disability, language or poverty status - in spite of clear policies that outlaw such practices.
In the light of this situation, one of the biggest priorities of the inclusion policy is to mobilise the disabled children of school going age that is unaccounted for. Included are children who are deaf and blind. A major focus during the short-term steps is to devise strategies in the nodal areas concerning the identification, placement and the development of programmes for these learners. To do this effectively, all our social partners, parents and caregivers have to collaborate to create awareness about the rights of all children irrespective of their disabilities or any other barriers that they experience, to have access to education.
Learners who are both deaf and blind are usually singled out educationally because impairments of vision and hearing require thoughtful and specific educational approaches in order to ensure that children with this combination of disabilities are provided with the opportunities to reach their full potential. Initiatives such as the one you have embarked on, as well as concurrent developments that the Department of Education is involved in will go a long way to address the difficulties that are being experienced. For example, the Department of Education and Telkom have installed state of the art facilities for people who experience visual difficulties in selected sites in the nine provinces. These facilities have been installed in nine schools and will increase to thirty within the next three years. They are located in poor areas for use by the community and the school. Such interventions will be increased through the implementation of the short-term steps of Education White Paper 6. In the short term (over the next two years) we will create full-service schools and convert special schools into resource centers, ensuring that people who operate in the margins and cracks are brought to the center. In the long term we intend to create more space for all learners throughout this country, but mainly in poor and rural areas.
"An inclusive system of education and training will contribute to the promotion of human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms." (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, Section 1(a))
It summons us all to take up the responsibility and challenge of building a humane and caring society for all our people. The challenge facing educators and communities is to see issues of disability and diversity in the light of human rights and social democracy. Total participation of our learners, including those with diverse needs, in the education and training system, is what we should strive for.
To succeed in our agenda of transforming education, we need to take the opportunities afforded. Issues of education require collaboration at all levels of society. The department cannot do it alone - therefore we need your support to ensure a sound implementation of Education White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System.
As many of you are aware, substantial set-up work as been done regarding the implementation of the short term steps of Education White Paper 6. Sufficient attention has been directed towards advocacy and visits to the sites, physical and material resources, appointment of programme managers, development of conceptual and operational guidelines. A draft human resource development plan is now being circulated for comment, which will also influence teacher-training relating to visual difficulties. The plan will be circulated to the disability movement and other key role players for comment within the next two weeks.
You are aware of major strides the department has taken regarding the development of a Braille Code and the adaptation of the CTAs.
May I take this opportunity to commend Deaf-blind South Africa and the South African National Council for the Blind for the initiative they have taken in the education for learners who are both blind and deaf.
Furthermore, I wish you well in your endeavours to provide basic training to the teachers in the participating schools of your project.
I thank you
Issued by: Ministry of Education
31 October 2003
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Mangena: Graduation ceremony of educators for blind and deaf learners
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY MR M MANGENA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, AT THE GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE BLIND, Friday, 31 October 2003
Chairperson, Distinguished Guests, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It gives me great pleasure to speak to you at a time when we are in the process of implementing Education White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System.
At the outset let me acknowledge the commitment, dedication and perseverance of all those who are involved in initiatives to improve the quality of life of persons who experience barriers to learning and development. These barriers to learning include: socio-economic barriers, attitudes, lack of access to basic services, poverty, under-development, factors that place learners at risk, inflexible curriculum, language and communication, inaccessible and unsafe environment, lack of parental recognition and disability.
I also express a particular acknowledgement to those who dedicate a large part of their lives to empower persons with disabilities in a selfless, altruistic, caring and humble manner.
This particular human resource development initiative that brought us here today, is geared at enhancing the skills, knowledge, understanding, and techniques of educators and school managers who are central to the delivery of education to learners who are both blind and deaf.
The Department of Education is encouraged by your efforts and hopes that you sustain them and grow from strength to strength.
The goal of this training "accommodating diversity", is relevant and appropriate, since the Department of Education is at present involved in the rigorous process of taking the first steps of implementation of the policy as outlined in Education White Paper 6.
Inclusive education as a means of transforming society
The publishing of White Paper 6 completes an extraordinary period of seven years of post-1994 policy development and policy making guided by the principles and values of the Constitution. All new policies in education have the common goal of re-integrating our society, which has been torn apart by the ravages of racism. The guiding principles of transformation are reflected in the goals of equity, redress, quality and access.
The segregated nature of society is even more apparent in policies governing the lives of people with disabilities and those who have been channeled into special needs education. Education White Paper 6 provides clear examples of the disparity in spending among racial groups, but also across provinces, and urban and rural contexts. Further, the movement for greater social inclusion of people with disabilities has been too small to gather momentum in our country. Too many children and adults with disabilities are still hidden away in isolation in dark backrooms and sheds or institutionalised from an early age. Many children are refused admission to ordinary neighbourhood schools or even to special schools on the basis of their disability, language or poverty status - in spite of clear policies that outlaw such practices.
In the light of this situation, one of the biggest priorities of the inclusion policy is to mobilise the disabled children of school going age that is unaccounted for. Included are children who are deaf and blind. A major focus during the short-term steps is to devise strategies in the nodal areas concerning the identification, placement and the development of programmes for these learners. To do this effectively, all our social partners, parents and caregivers have to collaborate to create awareness about the rights of all children irrespective of their disabilities or any other barriers that they experience, to have access to education.
Learners who are both deaf and blind are usually singled out educationally because impairments of vision and hearing require thoughtful and specific educational approaches in order to ensure that children with this combination of disabilities are provided with the opportunities to reach their full potential. Initiatives such as the one you have embarked on, as well as concurrent developments that the Department of Education is involved in will go a long way to address the difficulties that are being experienced. For example, the Department of Education and Telkom have installed state of the art facilities for people who experience visual difficulties in selected sites in the nine provinces. These facilities have been installed in nine schools and will increase to thirty within the next three years. They are located in poor areas for use by the community and the school. Such interventions will be increased through the implementation of the short-term steps of Education White Paper 6. In the short term (over the next two years) we will create full-service schools and convert special schools into resource centers, ensuring that people who operate in the margins and cracks are brought to the center. In the long term we intend to create more space for all learners throughout this country, but mainly in poor and rural areas.
"An inclusive system of education and training will contribute to the promotion of human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms." (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, Section 1(a))
It summons us all to take up the responsibility and challenge of building a humane and caring society for all our people. The challenge facing educators and communities is to see issues of disability and diversity in the light of human rights and social democracy. Total participation of our learners, including those with diverse needs, in the education and training system, is what we should strive for.
To succeed in our agenda of transforming education, we need to take the opportunities afforded. Issues of education require collaboration at all levels of society. The department cannot do it alone - therefore we need your support to ensure a sound implementation of Education White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System.
As many of you are aware, substantial set-up work as been done regarding the implementation of the short term steps of Education White Paper 6. Sufficient attention has been directed towards advocacy and visits to the sites, physical and material resources, appointment of programme managers, development of conceptual and operational guidelines. A draft human resource development plan is now being circulated for comment, which will also influence teacher-training relating to visual difficulties. The plan will be circulated to the disability movement and other key role players for comment within the next two weeks.
You are aware of major strides the department has taken regarding the development of a Braille Code and the adaptation of the CTAs.
May I take this opportunity to commend Deaf-blind South Africa and the South African National Council for the Blind for the initiative they have taken in the education for learners who are both blind and deaf.
Furthermore, I wish you well in your endeavours to provide basic training to the teachers in the participating schools of your project.
I thank you
Issued by: Ministry of Education
31 October 2003
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