Special Education in South Africa

THE APARTHEID POLICY in South Africa has legally separated its 35 million inhabitants into four official racial groups. Political power and privilege have been vested entirely in the white group (i.e., 14% of the population), while the blacks are sociopolitically disadvantaged. The systems of education and special education strikingly reflect, and are a product of the divided, inequitable society. The majority of black South African students are academically retarded due to the inadequacy and inequity of the educational and sociopolitical system. Moreover, facilities for black handicapped children both within and outside the mainstream are extremely limited. For whites, there are far better facilities for disabled children, but their education system tends to be conceptually antiquated and narrow-minded. The past decade has seen some improvements in the provision of special education facilities and in the approach to education generally. Significant political changes are now occurring in 1990, which are heralding the downfall of the apartheid system and are likely to produce a major overhaul of the education and special education systems for all children. However, the enormity of numbers involved remains a major problem and calls for innovative solutions.