Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule, addressed the South African National Association for Special Education (SANASE) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Conference at the Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel in Durban on 16 August 2019.

SANASE Deputy President, Mr Lindela Memane welcomed the house, including the DBE Deputy Minister and thanked all SANASE member schools for their dedication to special education, stressing the importance of the SANASE AGM. He went on to express the expectation of full participation by all delegates.

Deputy Minister Mhaule, in her opening remarks said that it is significant that the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes explicit references to disability. “The issue of disability features in a number of Sustainable Development Goals, ranging from education to social, political and economic inclusion. As a society, we must move with the requisite speed and fulfil the promise of our Constitution of non-discrimination and equality for all our people, especially persons with disabilities”, Dr Mhaule said.

“We are committed to ensuring that the interests of learners with disabilities are effectively mainstreamed across all our schools. We are serious when we say no child must be left behind. We are determined to improve the learning experience of learners with profound intellectual disability,” Dr Mhaule concluded.