Education

(1) (a) How many special needs schools are currently operational in the province, (b) how are they geographically distributed and (c) what plans are in place to expand access, particularly in rural or under-resourced areas;
(2) (a)(i) what funding has been allocated to special needs education in the 2025/26 financial year and (ii) how does this compare to previous years and (b) what key programmes are being implemented to support the sector, including (i) infra-structure, (ii) staffing, (iii) transport, (iv) curriculum development and (v) psycho-social services;
(3) (a) what measures are in place to identify learners with special educational needs, including autism, in mainstream schools and (b) what support is provided to these (i) learners, (ii) their families and (iii) educators?