Chikunga pushes for inclusive schools to break disability barriers

“The Department of Higher Education’s National Skills Fund launched a R1 billion Disability Support Fund aimed at providing specialised workplace training, capacity building, procurement support, and enterprise development for persons living with disabilities” Another proposal involves pairing every special school in South Africa with a state-owned enterprise to help improve infrastructure and educational resources through corporate social investment.

Teacher support and attitudes need to change While inaccessible infrastructure remains a major challenge, Chikunga said a shortage of assistive devices and insufficient teacher training continued to undermine inclusive education.

Speaking at the Recreation Aid Foundation (RAF) Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday, Chikunga said South Africa’s biggest barriers to inclusive education were not disabilities themselves, but education systems and environments that continue to exclude students with disabilities.