A call to translate plans into immediate action was made during the meeting of the National Task Team (NTT) on the Placement of Children with Disabilities that was held in Limpopo from 23 to 24 July 2026. One of the aims of the meeting was to align perspectives and strategies on inclusive education, through collaborative dialogue, with the Limpopo Provincial Task Team (PTT).

In his presentation on the sector’s obligation towards improving access to education, Mr Jabulani Ngcobo, Director: Inclusive Education at the DBE, urged the province to be proactive in identifying and mitigating risks that could pose as barriers to education. “One of our objectives as the task teams is to strengthen the retention of learners, especially learners with disabilities, in the education system. We need to implement the measures placed to prevent dropouts and poor attendance, and this includes ensuring that in each instance of placement there is support. If a learner requires assistive devices to support their learning, we need to ensure that these are availed as a matter of urgency. We must relate access to assistive devices as access to education; if there are no devices there is no education taking place,” he added.

Leading the Limpopo PTT in sharing their current initiatives and challenges related to placements, the Chief Director for Curriculum at the Limpopo Department of Education, Mr Solly Mabusela, assured the meeting that the province does not just admit learners, but they also ensure that the learning environment is redesigned to be conducive for quality education. “As we do admissions, we don’t just count the numbers; we also ensure that the infrastructure and other relevant resources become conducive to diversity and inclusion,” he said. The province also indicated that in some districts social workers have consultations with special care centres and respective parents to clarify and address any concerns raised around the placement of the children into schools. The District Task Teams have also roped in tribal authorities to advocate for the admission of children within their communities into schools.

During the meeting, showcasing the importance of strengthening collaboration with departmental line functions and provincial sister departments, a representative from the Department of Health (DoH) shared how the PTT can piggyback on some of the DoH’s child-focused programmes such as the Child Health and School Health Programmes. The Department of Transport also shared that the review of the National Scholar Transport Policy is nearing completion. Ms Neo Sediti, Director for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) at the DBE, resolved to analyse the gaps that exist within the NSNP, specifically relating to the rights of children in special care centres to nutrition.

In the second session of the meeting, which took place at Sibisi Full-Service School in Dennilton, the NTT and PTT met with primary school principals of the Sekhukhune South Education District. The school is one of the schools that has been admitting learners with disabilities and has recently accepted a number of learners who have previously been in community-based special care centres. In an effort to establish a shared understanding of inclusive education amongst the delegates, Ms Christinah Banyini, Chief Education Specialist for Inclusive Education at the DBE, facilitated a robust discussion on the foundational principles of inclusive education. From the differences between special education and inclusive education, to educational settings where learners with disabilities can be best served, the engagement clearly laid out the obligations the principals had as accounting officers in their respective schools. 

Having taken them through the legal prescripts binding the sector, Mr Ngcobo reminded the principals of their duty: “Together with the provincial Head of Department (HoD), you are the accounting officers of your schools, in terms of the South African Schools Act. As you work directly with learners, you are delegated to make decisions on behalf of the HoD, and those decisions need to be correct and in line with the law. It is therefore critical that you familiarise yourselves with all the obligations related to the rights of all children, including children with disabilities," he concluded.