Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance has called on Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi to investigate allegations of the mistreatment of school pupils with special needs in Gauteng schools.
"This shocking incident was revealed to the public by ENCA’s Checkpoint [TV programme]," DA Gauteng educations spokesperson Nkele Molapo said on Sunday.
The programme also showed pupils with special needs expressing how they were mistreated at school. These pupils were teased and belittled because they were struggling at school.
"They are also discriminated against by their teachers who call them insulting names and they are then told to sit at the back of the classroom because they are not smart. These learners are vulnerable and unable to read, yet nothing has been done to assist them," Molapo said.
It was the responsibility of the Gauteng education department to ensure that all pupils were taught in a dignified manner, irrespective of their learning needs.
"The DA calls on MEC Lesufi to intervene as a matter of urgency to ensure that these learners with special needs are given a fair chance to learn and develop.
"The department also has a responsibility to assess the needs of learners where it is evident that they are not coping with their schoolwork in order to ascertain what proper interventions need to occur," Molapo said.