With the introduction of the policy on Inclusive Education, as published in Education White Paper 6 of 2001, government made a commitment to ensure that all children would be welcomed in all public schools and that they would be supported to develop to their full potential irrespective of their background, culture, abilities or disabilities, their gender or their race. The concept of a full-service/inclusive school was introduced to show how ordinary schools can transform themselves to become fully inclusive centres of care and support. Since then, various policies and guidelines have been developed to strengthen the implementation of Inclusive Education and to ensure greater access for all learners, especially the poor, to educational support in their local neighbourhood schools. The latest of these guidelines is Circular S28 of 2023.

To accelerate the implementation of the concept, the Department of Basic Education’s National Task Team (NTT) on the Placement of Out-of-School Learners has been engaging with its provincial counterparts – the Provincial Task Teams (PTTs), on advancing inclusive education through the strategic placement of out-of-school learners from special care centres into ordinary schools. This initiative aligns with the constitutional guarantee in Section 291(a), stating that everyone, including learners with disabilities, has a right to basic education. It also serves as a platform for open, solution-oriented discussions to strengthen conceptual and strategic alignment in the implementation of inclusive education initiatives and interventions

The most recent NTT-PTT engagement took place on 11-12 August 2025 with the Northern Cape PTT. Chaired by Mr Bangilizwe Ngubo, NC DoE Director for Inclusive Education, the meeting brought together key stakeholders to build and consolidate a coherent understanding of inclusive education and to develop actionable strategies for its implementation across the province. During a key session titled How Well Do I Understand Inclusive Education? Mr Jabulani Ngcobo, Director for Inclusive Education at the DBE, led participants through a deeply reflective dialogue leading to the PTT members – most of whom are from other line functions besides Inclusive Education, deepening their understanding of inclusive education principles and South Africa’s national and international commitments in this regard. Subsequent discussions focused on the country’s legal and policy obligations regarding inclusive education, culminating in a provincial presentation, reflecting on the implementation of Circular S28 of 2023 and identifying areas for improvement, including how the NCPTT plans to address challenges.

On Day 2, the meeting transitioned from theory to practice. Participants visited Re Tlameleng Special School and Sol Plaatjie Full-Service School, to observe inclusive education in action, engaging directly with school principals, educators and non-educators. This contemplative experience provided valuable insights into the realities of implementing inclusive education at school level. The engagement concluded with discussions to identify concrete, actionable steps to enhance access to public education for learners with disabilities, as is their constitutional right. These steps will inform future planning and monitoring of the implementation of Circular S28 of 2023.

This collaborative effort between the DBE and the PTTs reaffirms the sectoral commitment to the principle that ‘Every Child is a National Asset’. By prioritising inclusive education and ensuring that no child is left behind, the sector continues to work toward a more equitable and accessible education system for all children.