Towards a Just Distribution of Student Funding to Youth with Learning Disabilities in Vocational Education and Training

The funding of higher-education students contributes to their skills development and renders them employable and self-sustainable. Research indicates that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) (a South African tertiary education government funding agency) has done remarkably well in funding a large number of students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue vocational training. Having noted that disability is an under-researched topic in the South African Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) context


INTRODUCTION
Since democracy, South Africa has been in reconstruction mode to emancipate itself from the shackles of apartheid-engineered socio-economic disparities.At the heart of its reconstruction and development programme (RDP) lies the government's goal of eradicating the counterinclusive style of service delivery in public service entities, including all tiers of the education system (i.e., basic and higher education and training).The migration of the Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) sector from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the inclusion of students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds (i.e., African, Coloured, and Indian students) in the TVET sector was a milestone in the promotion of access to and equality in higher education.In an unequal society like South Africa, inclusion and participation in the higher education space is premised not solely on race, but also on gender.In a sector where males have dominated for decades, efforts to attract female students are beginning to bear fruit.Recent evidence by DHET (2019b) indicates a growth of 56% in female student enrolment compared to 44% a few years ago.In addition, evidence shows that public trust in TVET colleges is on the rise..For example, the number of students who wrote exit exams for N3 programmes has risen from 41 201 in 2013 to 59 397 in 2023.The overall certification rate improved from 44.6% in 2013 to 65.8% in 2016 (DHET, 2019b).In terms of the final curricula levels, statistics indicate that , the certification rate for the National Accredited Technical Education Diploma (NATED N6) increased from 35.6 % in 2013 to 96.4 % in 2019.Meanwhile, the certification rate for the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) Level 4 increased significantly, from 37.0 % in 2013 to 49.4 % in 201949.4 % in (DHET, 2019b)).The progressive overall statistics are demonstrated in the giant rise in student enrolment, which was estimated to be about 345 566 in 2010, and which increased to 705 397 in 2016 (DHET, 2019a).Du Toit-Brits and Roodt (2017) argue that had it not been for the government recruitment drive and funding of historically disadvantaged students, progress would have been slower.Notwithstanding the challenges that confront the sector, Branson et al. (2015) assert that through continued reforms, the sector is set to host no less than 2.5 million students by 2030, as mandated by the National Development Plan (NDP).According to Nzimande (2022a), these developmental trajectories can be attributed to a significant increase in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) budget in the last 6 years from R5.9 billion in 2014 to R49 billion in 2022.
Established in 1996, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) started off as an "income-contingent student loan and bursary scheme under the custodianship of Tertiary Education Fund South Africa (TEFSA), with the aim of redressing past discrimination; promoting equal access and representativity in higher education participation" (Wildschut et al., 2018, p. 1).Its primary objective is to provide access to education to those who do not have the means to finance their studies in higher education institutions (Cooper & Subotsky, 2001).De Villiers et al (2013) and Wildschut et al (2018) maintain that NSFAS, as the main public higher education funding source, has addressed access to higher education and youth unemployment with considerable success.It is certainly one of the most progressive funding models in the developing world (Nzimande, 2022a).However, as progressive as this trajectory may be, the "significant gaps in the literature on student funding, bursary allocations, and bursaries" (Naidoo & McKay, 2018, p. 160) as well as insufficiency of empirical evidence on the effect of disability inclusion policies with respect to South African post-schooling sector (Mutanga et al., 2018), motivated researchers to analyse structural conditions and practices embedded (Atasoy & Ozden, 2022;Banks & Banks, 2010) in the NSFAS Eligibility Criteria and Conditions for Financial Aid Policy Standard.Special attention was drawn to section 4 (and all the sub-subsections or clauses) of this policy, which in them main, outlines the mechanisms used to facilitate the allocation of bursaries and reasonable accommodation of current and prospective students with special needs (i.e., disabilities).To this end, the paper was informed by the following research questions: • How effective is the NSFAS funding model in addressing the financial needs of students with learning disabilities?
• To what extent does the NSFAS funding criterion consider the varying developmental needs and learning styles of prospective students or youth with disabilities?This paper attempts to contribute to empirical evidence on the dynamics that determine the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the post-school education and training sector in South Africa (Mutunga et al., 2018) and, by implication, in Sub-Saharan Africa, and to give an overview of disability inclusion (Education Sub-Saharan Africa [ESSA], 2021).
Structurally, the paper entails literature review, methodology, results and discussion as well as conclusion and recommendations, as enunciated in the following sections.

LITERATURE REVIEW Disability Defined
Lately, the human rights of people with disabilities have been a hotly debated subject.Disability has featured regularly in public documents and policies (ESSA, 2021) in contrast to a few years ago when government agencies, the private sector and the political establishment paid lip service to it.Although too broad a term to define, it is clear that disability is an umbrella term for physical and psychological conditions induced by either ill-health or preexisting natural causes or both.According to Okoye (2010, p. 667), disability can also be inflicted by natural conditions and accidents such as a "motor accident, wars, disasters and diseases" that can permanently damage one's "brain, spinal cord, eyes and other parts of the body".South Africa's Strategic Policy Framework on Disability for the Post-school Education and Training System (2018) defines disability as: The loss or elimination of opportunities to take part in the life of the community, equitably with others, encountered by persons having physical, sensory, psychological, developmental, learning, neurological or other impairments, which may be permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, thereby causing activity limitations and participation restriction within mainstream society.These barriers may be due to economic, physical/structural, social, attitudinal and/or cultural factors (DHET, 2018, pp. vii-viii).
The above definition was taken from the resolutions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006).The convention resolved that because disability is an evolving concept, its definition is often determined by conditions prevailing in a specific industry or society.It is also based on the affected persons' experience of attitudes and environmental barriers.
Research has long established the linkage between disability and social justice (Putnam et al., 2019).This is because, justice often referred to as a "first virtue of social institutions" (Rawls 1971, p. 3), is central to the evaluation of the responsiveness of social policies and public institutions (Putnam et al., 2019) to the needs of the public.In seeking to evaluate the extent to which the NSFAS funding policy accommodates youth with learning disabilities, the paper is positioned within the ambit of distributive justice.Distributive justice is defined as the socially just distribution of resources (Armstrong, 2012) or a morally preferable distribution of scarce resources among diverse members of a community (Olsaretti, 2018).In a South African post-school education and training context, it pertains to the "promotion of equity of access, participation and fair chances for success to all who are seeking to realise their potential through higher education, while eradicating all forms of unfair discrimination and advancing redress for past inequalities" (White Paper, 1997 section 1.14), including the elimination of barriers to access and equity in student funding.

Contextualising Learning Disability
Learning disability pertains to the unstable maturity of someone's aptitude for social, professional or academic assignments that require an average to high cognitive grasp.Such processing problems can interfere with learning basic skills such as reading, writing or doing arithmetic (Learning Disabilities Association of America [LDAA], 2023).The LDAA (2023) categorises learning disabilities as follows: i) dyscalculia, which affects a persons' ability to understand numbers and learn mathematical formulas; ii) dysgraphia, which affects a person's handwriting ability and fine motor skills; iii) non-verbal learning disabilities, which are evident when a person has trouble interpreting non-verbal cues such as facial expressions or body language; iv) oral/written language disorder and reading comprehension deficit, which affects an individual's understanding of what they read or of spoken language; vi) ADHD, which includes not only difficulty with staying focused and paying attention, but also hyperactivity; and, finally, v) dyspraxia, which entails problems with movement and coordination, language and speech.Because students with learning disabilities have challenges with processing basic skills or academic content due to difficulty in using or understanding spoken or written language (Council for Exceptional Children [CEC], 2023), higher education institutions are encouraged accommodate them by rolling out vocational learning programs.Research indicates that learning disability is rampant in sub-Sharan Africa because of malnutrition (Christianson et al., 2002) and harsh living conditions owing to poverty.Some 2.9% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa is affected by a learning disability (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2002) compared to between 1 and 2.5% of the population in the rest of the Western hemisphere (Gillberg & Soderstrom, 2003).

Alignment of Disability Inclusion with Sustainable Developmental Goal (SDG) no 4
To highlight the need for improved access to education and the danger of obstructing social justice by undermining the need for ensuring equitable provision of post-school education and training (Rajapakse, 2016), the paper draws on the Sustainable Development Goal Number 4 (SDG4).It is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations Convention in 2015 (under the theme: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development).The 17 SDGs are meant to inspire the world's governments to work together to eradicate poverty and deprivation by means of enacting and implementing progressive public management legislations and systems, political governance, and leadership practices.They are also intended to motivate civil-society organisations campaigning for quality healthcare and education, equality, vibrant economic growth, and stability.The 17 SDGs encourage effective mechanisms to mitigate the damages of climate change and prevent further harm to forests and oceans (United Nations, [UN 2022]).To illustrate they key points that education systems must take into account to infuse elements of social justice in their rolling out of education, SGD 4 was selected.SDG4 is suitable for the development of education as it makes a plea to the world's education-and-training bureaucracies, processes and institutions for equity and inclusion in the distribution of lifelong learning and formal education, and for the acknowledgement of people's diverse developmental needs (Nakidien et al., 2021).
In terms of section (a) of SDG4, students with disabilities should be reasonably accommodated in education (UN, 2022).Inclusion or accommodation refers to using policy and constitutions to obliterate barriers that make it hard for youth with disabilities to benefit fully from educational services.To foster inclusion, all stakeholders must commit to ethical actions, compassion, and the promotion of equity for the greater good of humanity.In a nutshell, disability inclusion can be defined as the process of fostering a social, professional or recreational environment where people with disabilities have access to the same opportunities and resources than people without a disability (McClain-Nhlapho et al., 2022).Inclusion is embedded in the prescripts of SDG4, which envisions an educational environment free of discriminatory elements and barriers.This vision is articulated below: Inclusive education is the one in which equal access is given to all learners to a single education system that embraces their unique ways of receiving it, such that no learners are inhibited "regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, language, or other differences" from enjoying their constitutionally enshrined right to education.Thus, all learners should benefit from ordinary education, the curriculum, and supportive services at their disposal (Department of Education Tasmania, 1997, p. 44).
The authors of this paper juxtaposed SDG 4 with the NSFAS funding criterion and disability annexure, both of which determine the funding of post-school education.This way, they would be able to assess the extent to which it meets the funding needs of a diverse student population, especially those with learning disabilities.In its own unique way, the paper exposes the consequential effect of failure to resolutely implement disability policies in the TVET learning space (International Labour Organisation [ILO], 2017), on persons with disabilities, who are the world's minority, and are often deprived of a range of constitutionally embedded basic services and human rights, and are likely to end up financially deprived, battle with poor health and live in squalor, without any skill to enter the job market (Dohrmann, 2018) and without the human agency and self-determination.It is from that point of departure that both authors consider SDG4 in alignment with the paper's objective of assessing the suitability of the current NSFAS policy in comprehensively addressing the inclusion of youth with disabilities in the TVET space.

Alignment of Comprehensive Youth Development with the Capability Approach
Youth development is a much-needed intervention that falls within the ambit of all governments.Almost all constitutions articulate the need for youth development as a public service.Based on this constitutionally binding imperative, this paper adopted the capability approach as a theoretical lens to emphasise the need for a comprehensive, ethical and a socially just approach to youth development.Extending educational opportunities to all students, regardless of their social background and physical condition, is in consonance with the capability approach, which, according to Sen (2001), emphasises the development of "freedoms" (p.291) so that people are able to function (Sen, 1992) in the societies where they live.These freedoms refer to an environment where humans of all socio-economic circumstances have a support structure that nourishes and facilitates the development of their inherent and academically derived capabilities (Robeyns, 2016).The capability approach considers "social context" a requirement for individual freedoms (Rajapakse, 2016, p. 34), which insists that youth are accommodated in a post-school institution to study, pass an examination, and acquire a qualification (Rajapakse, 2016), regardless of their socio-economic status, race, gender, cultural orientation, physical condition (whether with or without a disability) or age.
The resonance of the capability approach with educational affairs (Walker, 2006) confirms that no criterion in public policy should prevent students with disabilities from exercising their right to education (Terzi, 2005).Accepting that public policy should accommodate students financially, Sako (2020) argues that learning programmes in higher education institutions should be designed according to students' knowledge consumption methods and learning and developmental needs.Ncobela (2022) suggests that prospective students' prior learning and work experience should be acknowledged in vocational education and training.Their learning styles and academic developmental needs should also be taken into consideration.This would discontinue the misguided propagation of the tradition of using a single criterion for student selection, which presently considers academic aptitude as the primary factor for student funding eligibility.This would also ensure that prospective students with strong inclinations for kinaesthetic (practical) learning are able to benefit on an equal footing with their counterparts who are inclined to reading and writing learning styles.Opening up post-school educational opportunities to as many youth as possible would facilitate their agency for self-determination and activate their citizenship.Needless to mention that the capability approach regards education as vital in redressing injustices and inequalities because it affords the disadvantaged, marginalised and excluded groups opportunities to be involved in social, political, and economic activities.
It has been scientifically established that 15% of the world's population (which translates to near a billion people) has disabilities.Most of them are destined to miss out on education (McClain-Nhlapho et al., 2022) because 80% live in impoverished parts of the world (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2015).Adopting the capability approach as a theoretical lens placed the investigation within the social-justice paradigm and allowed the authors to examine the extent to which the current NSFAS funding policy has enabled youth with disabilities (particularly those with learning disabilities) to exercise their constitutional and human right to funding for higher education or has prevented them from doing it.Blackmore and Lauder (2005, p. 97) assert that policy analysis explains "how and why" governments have policies; and based on what, whom they are directed at, and on what grounds they came into effect.To analyse the 2023 edition of the NSFAS Eligibility Criteria and Conditions for Financial Aid Policy Standard, the critical discourse analysis (CDA) was applied.CDA is a qualitatively inclined research approach through which the tonal voice of policies and other text-based sources is analysed (Reitzel et al., 2022, p. 70).Text-based resources come in a range of books, emails, newspaper articles, blogs and research articles (Jansen, 2016).It requires that relevant texts be juxtaposed to determine what could be considered as loopholes and coherence in them.Since "there are very few matters in a complex and diverse society about which there is only one discourse (Lemke, 1995, p. 9 cited in Bolin, 2018), through CDA researchers lay bare social injustices and ways in which they are perpetuated as well as the extent to which they affect sections of the society (Mullet, 2018), which in the context of this paper refers to youth with learning disabilities.As a methodology, CDA transforms researchers into activists by propelling them to intensely interact with a policy text, identify loopholes and contribute solutions to counteract the unjust elements in the policy (Cummings et al., 2020).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Format
Beyond just identifying whether the policy sufficiently acknowledges learning as a disability, CDA was also applied to examine the extent to which the current selection criteria accommodate learners with learning disabilities in TVET colleges, in terms of its position on the funding of occupational learning programmes that are appropriate for students with learning disabilities and all other types of disabilities, and also in terms of putting in place a parallel selection methods for non-academic students when determining students' funding eligibility.
To that end, CDA enabled the researchers to draw out: (1) the unjust facilitation of processes (with special reference to the equitability of funding [or the lack thereof] of youth with learning disabilities); (2) the factors obstructing the promotion of social justice; and (3) the necessary steps to be taken to restore the element of social justice in the processes (Fairclough, 2013) of funding students with learning disabilities.

Data Sources and Inclusion Criteria
The literature used in this paper relates to disability inclusion, disability rights and social justice in education within the context of TVET education.The following terms were used to search for pertinent literature: "disability inclusion in higher education institutions (HEIs)", "disability funding support", disability learning support", "reasonable accommodation for learning disability in postschool education", 4IR and disability", "disability inclusion in the TVET sector", "disability policies in South African TVET", "NSFAS funding policy".To qualify for inclusion, all data sources had to be written in English and had to constitute research articles, book chapters, conference papers, policies and policy briefs, reports, newspaper articles and media statements.The preliminary phase of the literature search culminated into the selection of 92 topic related data sources, which were further reduced to 77.The exclusion of the 13 data sources was mainly due to their lack of a sharper focus on the overriding themes of the paper and their outdated nature (i.e., published more than 17 years ago).Table 1 presents a collage of data sources that formed part of the paper.

Researchers' Facilitation of Data Analysis
Data analysis, as defined by Robinson et al. (2004) cited in Ramonyai et al. (2022), is the processing, summarising, alignment and presentation of data in line with the research objectives or questions.The content and text of the policy document were the core focus of the analytical activity (Cardno, 2018, p. 628).On the basis that each qualitative research inquiry is unique and there is no single formalised procedure to conduct content analysis (Elo & Kyngas, 2008;Saldana, 2016), the researchers applied a data analysis procedure that they considered to be applicable to the aims of their investigation (Bowen, 2009;Cardno, 2018;Elo & Kyngas, 2008;Luvalo, 2017;Saldana, 2016;Nkambule, 2020).
The data analysis process started with the skimming of the policy text (Bowen, 2009); in this case, the NSFAS Eligibility Criteria and Conditions for Financial Aid Policy Standard.Several key sections, moreover, section 4 (and all its sub-sections) of the policy were inspected to form an opinion and determine the tone it projects about disability inclusion, along the lines of how it ensures reasonable accommodation to different learning styles and knowledge consumption strengths of students with learning disabilities.The researchers had a note pad containing the research questions and objectives (Erlingsson & Brysiewicz, 2017).Patterns in the policy text pertaining to objectives of the paper were marked with a highlighter (Nkambule, 2023a(Nkambule, , 2023b(Nkambule, , 2023c)), as exemplified below.
Patterns were developed into preliminary themes which were subsequently refined and incorporated into the findings of the paper.The researchers triangulated the documentary [policy] data with pertinent literature, as proposed by Cardno (2018).Through triangulation the researchers probed not only the text, but also its meaningfulness (Silverman, 2006) and the effect that it has on youth with learning disabilities.

RESULTS and DISCUSSION
This section of the paper entails a thematic discussion of the findings.The authors' findings based on their analysis of the NSFAS policy will be discussed.Their analysis and findings were guided by the following research objectives: • To understand the effectiveness of the NSFAS funding model in addressing the need for the inclusion of students with learning disabilities in the TVET sector.
• To understand the extent to which the NSFAS funding model considers the developmental needs and learning styles of prospective students or youth with disabilities.

The NSFAS funding model is inclusive in theory but exclusionary in practice
To facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in the TVET sector, an enabling policy framework is needed (ILO, 2017).Over and above that, such policies need to be based on the ideal of championing disability inclusion and human rights (Chiwandire & Vincent, 2019).The key finding of the paper is that, in theory, the architecture of the funding model (i.e., Eligibility Criteria and Conditions for Financial Aid Policy Standard) was conceived with the developmental needs of youth with a wide range of disabilities in mind.The NSFAS commitment was confirmed by Dr Blade Nzimande, the current minister of Higher Education and Training (DHET): We have committed that students with disabilities will qualify for NSFAS if they come from families who are not only earning up to R350 000 (a year), but who are earning up to R600 000 per annum because of this government's commitment to assist those of our people and students with disabilities (Nzimande, 2022b).
Another discovery in the NSFAS funding criteria was that the accommodation of youth with a range of disabilities in terms of providing "assistive devices, meals, tuition, transport, human support and accommodation" (NSFAS, 2023, pp. 30-31).Nevertheless, all these noble intentions were eclipsed by the researchers' discovery of some counter-inclusive undertones in the NSFAS policy during their analysis.It was established that, despite the policy's forthright labelling of learning disability as one of the prerequisites for funding eligibility, the implementation of the policy largely resulted in its failure to make good on the promise of ensuring that the heterogenous nature of disability receives the recognition it deserves.The extent of the exclusion of persons with disabilities in post-school education was evident in a statement in which the minister in charge of the higher education and training portfolio indicated that, in the 2022 academic year, from the 691 432 NSFAS beneficiaries, only "1 770 students with disabilities -received a comprehensive set of allowances from the scheme" (Nzimande, 2022b).Needless to say, disability lobby groups and civic organisations did not take kindly to this.To them, this signalled the long struggle that lay ahead to include persons with disabilities in higher education.The Western Cape Network on Disability (WCND, 2022) responded by declaring: This is a worryingly low number of students, but there are obviously major systemic issues that prevent people with disabilities from entering tertiary education in the first place, not just the availability of funds (WCND, 2022, press statement).
It is worth noting that South Africa's current total of 1 770 is lower than the 2 400 students with disabilities that Kenyan higher education had, more than a decade ago.The NSFAS's "betrayal" of the ideals of equality and inclusion in the higher-education space (Wengenge-Ouma, 2021) is a violation of students with disabilities' right to education (Terzi, 2005).With such a low funding of students with disabilities, it is no wonder that their assimilation into the country's workforce is far below the target of 2% (WCND, 2022).
This trend is perpetuated by the fact that, in order to get a bursary, prospective students have to write a selection test at any of the country's 250 TVET college campuses.Based on their results, applicants receive a letter of acceptance or rejection.The argument that this paper advances is that by premising funding eligibility on a single method of assessment (which is, by the way, far too academic) demonstrates the lack of commitment to ensure that "pre-entry placement focuses on selecting students on the basis of career interest assessment, cognitive ability and alternative admissions tests" (DHET,n.d,p. 8).
Consequently, students with learning disabilities (whose aptitude for academic assessments is generally below average) are rejected by both the TVET colleges and the NSFAS.These "exclusionary rather than inclusive practices" (Mosalagae & Bekker, 2021, p. 1) imply that the funding model is not in tandem with the diverse needs of prospective students with learning disabilities-which the ILO (2020) considers a gross human rights violation.

The NSFAS Model Does Not Comprehensively Address the Funding Needs of Non-academic TVET Applicants
The drive for a disability-inclusive vocational training environment is enunciated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) 2006 (Stein et al., 2007).Article 27 of the CRPD advocates for persons with disabilities' right to vocational education at TVET colleges (ILO, 2017).ILO (2017) asserts that the reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities in terms of allocation and skills development is imperative.Contrary to the prescripts of Article 27 of the CRPD, it was established that the current NSFAS funding model espouses subtle but patent discrimination.This paper deduces that prospective students' learning styles or ways of absorbing knowledge and alternative learning strengths and talents are not comprehensively accommodated in the NSFAS policy.For example, despite the skills centres or academies at most TVET colleges offering occupationally-directed programmes, the NSFAS policy document applies exceptions to how such programmes are funded.When converting the funding of occupationally-directed programmes, less than 30 percent of TVET skills centres facilitate NSFAS funded programmes.Also, clause 4.3.3.4 of the policy indicates that the courses funded under the scheme all lie within the engineering stream, namely: electrical, plumbing, brick-laying, fitting and turning, millwright, pipe fitting, and motor automotive mechanical training (NSFAS, 2023, p. 51).This lack of diversity in the learning programmes might as well be deemed as another barrier to broad-based disability inclusion and power of career choice.
Usually of a shorter duration, such qualifications facilitate students' acquisition of a skill that allows them to enter the labour market or explore entrepreneurial avenues.As things stand, only the NCV and the NATED programmes as well as a handful of occupationallydirected programmes are funded by NSFAS.The apparent unwillingness to reform the policy such that it reflects equality in the funding of all learning streams and students' learning capabilities renders it a travesty of social justice.This finding creates an impression that "TVET colleges lack the capacity, or even the policies, to cater for disabled students and staff" (DHET, 2013, p. 1).
In addition, it shows a total disregard for the recommendation projected in section 4.5 of the Strategic Policy Framework on Disability for the Post-school Education and Training System, which expresses an urgent need for: [An] Integrated planning and implementation within current budgets to be fast-tracked.The [funding] scheme has to be reviewed and amended to be more inclusive of people with disabilities as well as include students from TVET and CET colleges (DHET, 2018, pp. 72-73).
According to Miranda (2022), this systemic failure to fast-track the incorporation of persons with disabilities in higher education undermines the National Development Plan's target of no less than 7% disability representation in the country's mainstream economic Unless radical action is taken at both institutional and bureaucratic levels, NSFAS funding model shall continue to perpetuate disability exclusion owing to its rigid disability selection criteria and total disregard for the capabilities, talents, and developmental needs of no-academic applicants who show a strong inclination for kinaesthetic or practical methods of processing and synthesising curricular knowledge.This finding points to the need for ensuring that "regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, language, or other differences" (DoE, 1997, p. 44), youth with disabilities are accommodated to fully realise their capabilities by taking part in education and training on an equal footing with their peers without disabilities.

CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATIONS
Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA, 2021) maintains that disability has become a regular feature in public policies.To date, almost all public higher-education institutions have some sort of legislative framework aimed at fostering disability inclusion under the banner of inclusive education.However, structural barriers embedded in such educational policies render them discriminatory in practice (Atasoy & Ozden, 2022;Banks & Banks, 2010).In disability studies, a progressive inclusive education policy is that which is stripped of questionable logic and discriminatory practices against youth with disabilities ( Chiwandire & Vincent, 2019;McClain-Nhlapho et al., 2022;Mosalagae & Bekker, 2021) or any other person with some form of disability or special needs.Seeing that only 1% of students at African higher education institutions have disabilities (Ngwena et al., 2014), to determine the effect of narrowing such underrepresentation, this paper explored the effectiveness of the NSFAS policy framework to promote the inclusion of prospective students with learning disabilities in public TVET colleges.In accordance with the capability approach, which views persons with disabilities as capable beings (Davis, 2006;Mosalagae & Bekker, 2021;Shakespeare, 2010), and the SDG 4, which emphasises the reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities in education and training (UN, 2022), the paper extends a special appeal to those in public service and higher education whose core responsibilities entail dealing with disability affairs, to be more sympathetic to the plight of prospective and existing students with disabilities and to adopt a comprehensive approach to facilitating disability inclusion in the education sector.
The reason for the authors' double-lensed theoretical approach (the capability approach and SDG4) to examine the NSFAS policy's accommodation of youth with learning disabilities, is that none of them take note of a person's shortcomings and both of them insist on the creation of a person's support structure.
While its first objective was to ascertain the extent to which the NSFAS policy recognises the heterogeneity of disability, this paper also expressed the need for understanding the plight of youth with learning disabilities who, due to having below average aptitude for academic learning, often languish on the of the entrepreneurial and occupational worlds of work as observers or-if lucky enough to gain entry-as unaccredited (self-taught or naturally gifted) semi-skilled contributors to innovative ideas.It also argues for student funding reforms so that no young person-with or without a disability-lacks access to occupational training in order to ply a trade in the professional, artisanal, creative, or entrepreneurial sectors of the knowledge economy.
In line with the UN SDG 4 and the capability approach, the paper recommends that the NSFAS funding policy be reviewed so that it acknowledges the element of heterogeneity in disability and the constitutionality of inclusion and equity in the provision of public education, training and lifelong learning opportunities.As the country moves into the knowledge era, the paper also recommends that TVET colleges be adequately funded (Du Toit et al., 2016) so that cohorts of needy students with disabilities secure scholarships that are directly administered by TVET colleges.The first step would be to review the 4% higher education budget allocation to the country's 50 TVET colleges, which when compared to the 11% allocated to the country's 26 universities (DHET, 2019a) indicates that the TVET sector operates on a shoe-string budget.
Rethinking the role of TVET in the world of work and lifelong learning in the knowledge economy (Association for the Development of Education in Africa [ADEA], 2020), may also require TVET to be at the forefront of designing and implementing accredited vocational learning programmes at their skills centres.They should lobby the top echelon of the NSFAS and the ministerial advisory team, to set up a parallel funding criterion accommodating nonacademic applicants; to moderate the existing funding selection criteria, which tend to exclusively favour academically inclined applicants to the detriment of applicants with learning disabilities.In so doing, broad-based disability inclusion would ensure that youth with a wide range of disabilities would have an equal chance of being funded by the scheme.
In hindsight, the authors concede that the absence of voices of youth with learning disabilities about the impact of the research problem is tantamount to a limitation of the paper.Hence, the paper recognises the need for prospective researchers to consider employing qualitative empirical research in order to acquire thick layers of data (through semistructured interviews or focus groups) while also acquainting themselves with the worldviews of youth with learning disabilities in relation to financial exclusion in post-school education and training.
activities by 2030.It further erodes article 12 of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa 28 (ILO, 2017), which makes it clear that: Every person with a disability has the right to education.State parties should (a) ensure that persons with are able to access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others, (b) ensure reasonable accommodation of the individual's requirements, and that persons with disabilities receive the support required to facilitate their effective education (ACHPR, Article 12 cited in ILO, 2017).

Table 1 .
Data Sources

Table 2 .
Identification of Patterns and Preliminary Codes