Special Schools

Below is a list of South African special schools with contact details. At present, this list only covers 2 of the 9 South African Provinces. The list will be expanded as time allows.

Western Cape Province

Gauteng Province

Sibonile School for the visually impaired

The school is in what was previously known as Sybrandt van Niekerk Laerskool, in Kliprivier. Sibonile is one of several schools intended for pupils with visual impairment in Gauteng province. It is a primary school with boarding facilities. Sibonile was set up by the late Mr E Ncala ..initally seeking a solution to the education of his own child. He persuaded the National Organisation for the Blind in South Africa (NOBSA) to be sponsors and the school (number XA86) was registered on the 16 February 1994.

Many visually impaired children in Gauteng were left in their homes whilst in need of education.

Under normal circumstances a primary school starts progressively i.e. from Grade 0 to Grade 7 depending on the school level or type. Sibonile has pupils who are partially sighted, abbreviated PS; pupils who are totally blind, abbreviated TB; pupils with visual and mental problems; pupils who are deafblind; pupils with visual and multiple disabilities. There is no training centre for the visually impaired in and around Gauteng province except sheltered workshops.

Sibonile school is state subsidised school.

There are calls for pupils who are twenty years and above who want to attend at Sibonile but are denied because of age limits. The school has pupils with academic barriers with no hope of leaving the school in the near future e.g. seventeen year olds in a special class(stimulation class). There is a dire need for a vocational training centre through which many of the visually impaired would be able to gain independence and employment.

In June 1999 there were 101 pupils of which 27 were blind, accommodated in 9 classrooms where 7 teachers and 2 class aids were responsible for their tuition.

The Memorial Institute (TMI) Centre for Visually Impaired Children, Parktown, Johannesburg

Private Bag X39, Johannesburg 2000.

The TMI facility is aimed at preschool children but in mid 2000 it expected to be reclassified as an Early Learning Special Educational Needs (ELSEN) school. That would allow it to take in a wider age range than the SA Government's currently favoured scheme to only assist Grade R classes - the reception year before Grade 0 of primary school.

See TMI section of website.

The Hope School for the Physically Disabled, Parktown, Johannesburg.

Prinzhoof School for the Blind, Pretoria