Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to conduct post SONA visit to Tembaletu School for learners with special educational needs in Gugulethu
The Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities will conduct an announced visiting to Tembaletu School for Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) in Gugulethu, Western Cape as part of the Post State of the Nation Address (SONA) activities under the theme: “Together building South Africa inclusive of Disability Rights.”
The Department’s mandate is to lead on socio-economic transformation and participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities through mainstreaming, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation. Women, youth, persons with disabilities, the LQBTQIA+ community, orphans and older persons are considered vulnerable as they tend to be at higher risk of social exclusion and marginalization. These groups often face higher rates of victimisation and abuse.
Tembaletu School for (LSEN) was established by the Jewish ministries in 1974 as a private school. It was then later adopted by the Western Cape Provincial Department of Education until now. Amongst others, the school caters for different types of mild and severe disabilities such as Physical, Psychosocial, Cerebral Palsy, Head Injury and Muscular Dystrophy. Learners are accepted from Grades: R to 9. The ages of the learners range from 6 to 18 years old and the school has a complement of approximately 200 learners.
Key operational challenges facing the school include but are not limited to inappropriate and aging transport with high maintenance costs. The transport is not accessible transport as physically disabled learners need to be carried onto and off the bus, having to leave their assistive devices at school.
Currently, Tembaletu LSEN School is one of four special needs schools in the Western Cape offering education to Xhosa speaking children in their mother tongue.
The sixth administration is committed to changing the lives of persons with disabilities in meaningful ways over the next 5 years working together with all sectors of society.
The objective of the visit is to ensure that learners with disabilities are empowered to chart their own destiny through access to facilities, to enable them to strive and improve and ultimately be able to reach their full potential and where possible become self-sufficient. The visit will also be utilised as a platform to highlight the physical, attitudinal, economic and communication barriers they experience, and to inform society about the enablers required to remove these barriers as an ongoing campaign.
The Minister expresses her profound gratitude and appreciation to ENGEN for their partnership and support in contributing much needed resources for the school and all other partners who are already on board to support the school and schools like Tembeletu School.
The visit will also be utilised as a call to action to the nation to follow ENGEN`s example by playing your part in building a South Africa inclusive of Disability Rights.
Media is invited to attend the event as follows:
Date: 14th February 2020
Time: 09h00
Venue: Tembaletu, School for Learners with Special Educational Needs
NY 77, Gugulethu, Western Cape
Follow the conversation on #DisabilityInclusiveSA, #growsouthafricatogether, #sona2020
For interviews please contact Mmabatho Ramompi on 076 480 3513 / mmabatho.ramompi@women.gov.za.
Enquiries:
Shalen Gajadhar
060 979 4235
shalen.gajadhar@women.gov.za
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