The Western Cape government has recently pledged R68 million to improve facilities and resources for students with autism in existing schools. This funding will be used to build two new special needs schools and 28 classrooms in existing schools that will cater specifically to students with autism. In addition to this, the Western Cape Education Department has earmarked an additional R214 million to support these students until 2026, in addition to existing special education funding. The move has been widely welcomed by the autism community, as rising incidences of autism in recent years have created a backlog that needs to be addressed urgently.
