Promises and pitfalls for advancing the human right to education of children with disabilities in South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa, the right to education is guaranteed by Section 29 of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. The government is therefore obliged to develop policies, pass laws and establish programmes that promote and fulfil the right to education. Contrary to this, it has been argued that children with disabilities benefit less from the human right to education, as reflected by the number of children with disabilities currently attending school. This article aims to examine the gap between the promises made on the advancement of the human right to education of children with disabilities and the pitfalls experienced in fulfilling those promises. A literature review method was used to assess the access to education, and findings identify that inequalities in opportunities continue to occur not only because the government has not managed the key drivers of poverty but also due to a persistent lack of activism to address these issues.