Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Children with disabilities encounter obstacles attaining basic education.
Significantly, previous studies on South Africa have shown that up to 70% of the children with
disabilities are out of school. Despite efforts to support inclusive education through White
Paper 6 policy, the deployment of resources and transformation of the education sector has
been a slower process.
Objectives: The main objective of the article is to explore the challenges of basic education
faced by children with disabilities in South Africa.
METHOD: The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic using a qualitative
research methodology. The data were collected using key informant interviews through online
media platforms. The data analysis was conducted using computer-aided software in the form
of ATLAS.ti 8.
RESULTS: This study established several challenges faced by special needs schools, especially in
the rural areas. These include a limited number of special needs schools, scholar transport,
enrolment, lack of psychosocial and expert support, sanitation and infrastructure and the
impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children with disabilities.
CONCLUSION: The article concludes that even though White Paper 6 focusses on Special Needs
Education in South Africa, there remains poor policy implementation to ensure inclusivity for
learners with disabilities.
CONTRIBUTION: The research provides an understanding of the challenges faced by children
with disabilities to assist policy makers with recommendations and areas of concern to
improve policy implementation of the White Paper 6 in South Africa.
