Disabled students face a shocking wait of up to 116 days – or 64 per cent of the total school year – to access the essential learning support they need, according to Ministry of Education figures released to NZEI Te Riu Roa.
The figures, provided in response to an Official Information Act request, also showed students with severe needs (covering learning, hearing, vision, physical, language use and social communication) waited an average of nearly 25 working days just to receive the outcome of their application for support under the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS).
NZEI President Ripeka Lessels said: “Nearly two-thirds of the school year is gone by the time our disabled students get the learning support they need. This is a denial of basic educational rights.
“We welcome the Ministry’s commitment to progress a Framework for Action aimed at ensuring disabled learners have what they need to thrive at school and beyond. This commitment is part of the settlement of the Human Rights Act claim filed in 2012 and announced by the IHC yesterday.
“But to make our schools truly inclusive, we must urgently address the thousands of tamariki waiting for learning support. We need a teacher aide in every classroom.”
Latest data from Statistics New Zealand show that almost 220,000 disabled people were enrolled in formal education or training. This group includes 72 per cent of 0–4 year olds and 91 per cent of 5–17 year olds.