Pholela Special School

Image via: @kzngov
/ Twitter

Pholela Special School worth R220m officially opened in KwaZulu-Natal

Pholela Special School, a R220 million state-of-the-art school for learners with special needs has officially been open in KZN.

Pholela Special School

Image via: @kzngov
/ Twitter

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala and MEC for Education Kwazi Mshengu have officially opened the state-of-the-art Pholela Special School in Bulwer, Nkwezela, under the Harry Gwala District. The school was opened on Tuesday 30 March 2021.

Pholela Special School, which caters for learners with special needs, has an enrolment of 350 learners with mental and physical disabilities in the Midlands location. It is also one of the few schools for learners with special needs in the province.

KZN PREMIER AND EDUCATION MEC UNVEIL PHOLELA SPECIAL SCHOOL

Pholela Special School has many amenities, which are essential for learners with special needs education. This includes hostels for learners, as well as, residences for educators. It also has two consulting dispensaries and a sick bay. It also has a media centre, computer lab, special needs classrooms and a multipurpose centre amongst others.

“This is a continuation of our programme, which we started a while ago to reassert the right to education for our learners with special needs education. We want to give what is due to learners with special needs and we don’t want them to feel like a charity case that is attended to once everything else has been done. The plight of learners with special needs has now taken a centre stage in the Department.”

“As highlighted in the 2020/2021 budget, we have achieved our goal of constructing the Pholela Special School. This milestone underscores our efforts of facilitating a qualitative teaching and learning environment for all our learners,” Mshengu said.

PLANS TO BUILD MORE SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOLS IN KZN

Zikalala said that they plan to build more special schools in the province.

“Our aim is to ensure that each district in KZN has at least two to three schools that cater for learners with special needs. As a province we have identified at least 22 schools that are due for renovations and upgrades in order to ensure that learners with special needs receive quality and relevant education and skills for the current century,” Zikalala said.

Zikalala also handed over buses that will transport learners with Special Needs in the Harry Gwala District. The handover of the buses comes after Mshengu handed over more than 15 buses for learners with special needs in the province.

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