Thank you very much, hon member, for raising this concern. Indeed, we share the concern. It's for this reason that there has been a paradigm shift. Chairperson, you would probably be aware that, prior to 1994, special schools were located principally in white areas, cities and towns. So, you would have them in Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town and Johannesburg, and hardly inside a rural area. We have moved quite a long way in this regard in order to ensure that we provide access.
In fact, the 30 districts that have been identified are all rural, with particular needs. The special schools that have been established are all in those areas that are rural by nature and where there were no facilities available. The conversion of schools into full-service schools is also in areas where there has been no access in the past. So, there is a particular bias in terms of equity and opportunity for access to our historically disadvantaged areas. Therefore, this indeed is a paradigm shift in terms of what we have to do.
But the challenges are great. In fact, if there is one difficult area, it is the area of disability. You cannot look at individual deficits, but you have to look at this systematically. Because of its very diverse nature, there are very complex arrangements that have to be taken into account. There are issues of mainstreaming wherever possible, screening, facilities, resources and training. This in itself is a largely complex area.
What I can share with the hon member in the House is that we have moved forward. Yet, as I indicated before I satdown, the challenges are still great, and we have to do much more in order to achieve that. But as for the concern with regard to where the emphasis is, this is certainly in the rural areas, amongst the poorest of the poor, particularly with a view to ensuring that people are not discriminated against on the basis of class, language or culture. Thank you very much, Chairperson.