Disability/Needs/Education

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EDUCATION| |

  • OVERARCHING GAP : Ambiguity over what ‘inclusive education’ means.
    • UNCRPD Article 24 gives an idea , but there is no coordinating or national policy about inclusion from which mainstream and SPED schools can develop their inclusive programmes and practice
    • Some tend to describe inclusion as only placement in a mainstream classroom, while others mistakenly assume it is a one-size-fits-all approach
    • EI professionals describe it as “special needs children being accepted for who they are and given opportunities to learn, grow, develop their full potentials and live meaningfully”[12] 

Need for accessible and quality pre-school options| |

  • Many mainstream preschools are reluctant to take in children with special needs because their facilities and their teachers are not equipped, and there are only a handful of inclusive preschools & ICCPs.
  • While private pre-schools are better in quality and accessibility, they may not be affordable to all parents.
EXISTING RESOURCES GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Inclusive Preschools
  • Lack of affordable pre-school options. Inclusive learning environments pose higher costs which can prohibit those from low/middle-income families. Private operators are costly and limited as well.[16] Kindle Garden raised fees fees from $980 to $1,880 a month for full-day childcare from January 2018 (Median fee for full-day childcare is $867 caa 30 June 2017[17])
  • Parents report difficulties enrolling children with preschools[18]:
    • Estimated that 70% of EIPIC students do not attend preschool due to severity of their needs and lack of readiness of preschools to take child in
    • Many parents feel their kids inadequately supported by inexperienced staff, an unsuitable curriculum and inadequate school facilities 
Integrated Child Care Programme (ICCP)
  • Select childcare centres that allow children with mild special needs to learn, play and socialise alongside their mainstream peers
  • 14 ICCP Centres caa 18 May 2018[19]

Need for trained educators in both special education (SPED) and mainstream settings| |

• There are certification pathways for educators in SPED and mainstream settings in the area of SEN; however, the issue is whether certifications are adequate, and attracting people to take on this training and career in the first place.

  • For mainstream teachers, the compulsory 12-hour module on special needs does not offer in-depth learning, and there is no follow-up subsequently to ensure that teachers know how to manage practically.
  • SPED teachers face unattractive salaries and burnout.
  • The 500 allied educators hired by MOE are not adequately trained in terms of behavioural management and lack clarity on their roles and expectations vis-a-vis the teachers.
EXISTING RESOURCES GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Mainstream Teachers
  • NIE Pre-Service Training on Special Needsfeatures a compulsory 12-hour module on special needs for all beginning teachers
  • NIE training does not offer depth of learning, particularly the practical learning and hands-on experience needed to prepare teachers to manage a class with students with disabilities[20]
    • Anecdotal: "The lesson is really only 4-6 hours, across 1-2 lessons"
  • TSNs in St. Anthony's Canossian Secondary School developed an in-house training module
Formal Education Certification
  • Low remuneration and occupational prestige, and high course fees deter many from entering the field of special education[21][22][23][24][25]
    • Entry requirements differ - becoming a SPED teacher does not require a degree[26]
    • Dispute: "Salaries of SPED teachers and MOE teachers are equal at the start, but diverge as MOE teachers have better progression pathways (hence higher pay)" - Social Service Sector Salary Guidelines[27]
    • Dispute: "There are salary adjustments every three years."
  • High turnover of SPED teachers[28]
    • Dispute: [What is the actual data? Vs. mainstream schools?]
    • Lack of adequate training in the area of student behavioural management
    • SPED teachers do not have have the same progression opportunities as mainstream teachers[29]
    • [Are there enough/trained SPED Teachers to manage increase intake of students due to Revised Compulsory Education Act?]
  • Establish provisions for self-care for SPED professionals
  • Some professionals enter the field in pursuit of a perceived calling (rather than purely monetary aspects); can they be supported in realising their calling/aims? [30]
Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support)
  • Provides support to students to meet their needs and behavioural challenges
  • All 190 primary schools and 69 secondary schools (40% of the total number of secondary schools) have at least one AED(LBS)[31]
  • Currently around 500 AED(LBS), set to rise[32]
  • [Need outcome information as to whether AED(LBS):SEN student ratio is sufficient]
  • High turnover of Allied Educators[33]
    • [What is the actual data?]
    • Due to unclear job scope, low remuneration and lack of career progression, as well as perceived lower work status relative to MOE teachers[34]
    • Lack of adequate training in the area of student behavioural management
    • [Are there enough/trained Allied Educators to manage increase intake of students due to Revised Compulsory Education Act?]
  • For students with disabilities who have experienced trauma, financial stress and who come from broken/dysfunctional families, they require intensive help. In addition to allied professionals, what of family, art and music therapists?
    • Only two SPED schools under Rainbow Centre have art and music therapists
Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSN) Scheme
  • Certificate course for mainstream teachers to receive 108 hours of further training in learning disabilities and strategies to support SEN pupils in classroom teaching and learning
  • Comprise 10% of teachers in mainstream primary schools and 20% in secondary schools[35]
Gaps
  1. . High turnover of SPED teachers .
    • Lack of adequate training in the area of student behavioural management
    • SPED teachers do not come under MOE’s purview and cannot access the same salaries and opportunities 
    • Dispute: [What is the actual data? Vs. mainstream schools?]
  2. Concerns about the implications of the revised Compulsory Education Act :
    • Are there enough teachers trained in special needs? Are allied educators being adequately supported?

Questions

  1. Are there enough/trained Allied Educators to manage increase intake of students due to Revised Compulsory Education Act?
  2. Are there statistics on SPED teacher/AED turnover rates?
  3. For some professionals who enter the field of special education in pursuit of a perceived calling, rather than purely monetary aspects, how can they be supported in realising their calling/aims? There is an increasing body of work on the idea of a calling work orientation .
  4. What are provisions for self-care for educational professionals?
  5. For students with disabilities who have experienced trauma, financial stress and who come from broken/dysfunctional families, they require intensive help. In addition to allied professionals, what of family, art and music therapists? Only two SPED schools under Rainbow Centre have art and music therapists.

Need to gain access to an adequate education (mainstream school, homeschooling, alternative education etc.)| |

  • The Revised Compulsory Education Act will ensure that most children with special needs aged 6-15 attend school; however there are concerns about its implementation (e.g. affordability of SPED schools, caregiving and transport arrangements, readiness of schools and special needs educators to accept a higher intake).
  • There is a plethora of financial assistance and transport support from SG Enable, but the affordability of education remains a challenge to families more affected by costs involved in schooling a special needs child, especially those with severe conditions.
STATISTICS
  • 2.1% of the student population has disabilities, based on the number of reported cases of students with sensory impairment, physical impairment, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. The total student population is put at approximately 460,000[3]
  • There are 31,000 students with special needs (80% mainstream school, 20% SPED)[36] ; 20,000 children with SEN have enrolled in mainstream schools[37]
  • A third of Singaporeans do not have a disabled person in their social circles [38]
  • About 1% of students across publicly-funded universities, polytechnics and ITEs have some form of disability[39]

The Revised Compulsory Education Act — concerns about implications:

  • Are there enough teachers trained in special needs?
  • Are allied educators being adequately supported?
  • While primary school education is nearly free, SPED schooling can cost more – appears to go against UNCRPD Article 24, which call for “free and compulsory primary education”
  • Increased costs in schooling a special needs child—transporting a child needing a wheelchair to school, to other needs such as speech and occupational therapy, high fees for those with severe conditions 
  • Opportunity costs can be high for children with autism, such as forgoing Applied Behaviour Analysis therapy which would have better equipped children with behavioural and learning capabilities necessary for school in the first place 
  • SPED schools already have long waiting lists. Can they cope?
  • How would this implicate SPED school funding?
  • Will special needs students be assessed at the same level as mainstream students in certain areas?
  • Are there adequate caregiving and transport provisions availed?
EXISTING RESOURCES GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Mainstream Primary Schools
  • Deaf/Hearing Impairment
    • Mayflower Primary School (Signing)
  • Physical Disabilities
    • 57 primary schools have barrier-free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)
  • Learning Disabilities
    • DAS’ Main Literacy Programme
    • School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme
  • Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSN)
    • 108-hour certificate course that equips teachers with a deeper understanding of learning disabilities and strategies to support SEN pupils in classroom teaching and learning 
  • Not all mainstream primary schools are fully accessible to all disability types. Few mainstream schools offer facilities for students with sensory impairments (VI/HI).
  • Recommendations from EM3 that MSF will consider[3]
    • Recommendation 5, Strategic Direction 3
      • To enhance capability of professional staff in mainstream schools to support students with SEN
      • To implement AT and resources for SEN students
Mainstream Secondary Schools
  • Deaf/Hearing Impairment
    • Beatty Secondary School (Signing)
    • Outram Secondary School (Oral)
    • St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (Oral)
  • Visual Impairment
    • Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
    • Bedok South Secondary School
    • Dunearn Secondary School
  • Physical Disabilities
    • 34 secondary schools have barrier free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)
  • Learning Disabilities
    • DAS’ Main Literacy Programme
    • School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme
  • Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSN)
    • 108-hour certificate course that equips teachers with a deeper understanding of learning disabilities and strategies to support SEN pupils in classroom teaching and learning 
  • Not all mainstream secondary schools are fully accessible to all disability types
  • Recommendations from EM3 that MSF will consider[3]
    • Recommendation 5, Strategic Direction 3
      • To enhance capability of professional staff in mainstream schools to support students with SEN
      • To implement AT and resources for SEN students
Special Education (SPED) Schools
  • Serve students from 7-21 years of age
  • 19 SPED Schools funded by the government as of January 2018[40] , by APSN, Metta, PCS, MINDS, AWWA, Rainbow Centre, CPAS, ARC, AA, SAMH, Canossian Daughters and SAVH
  • Guided by the SPED Curriculum Framework
  • Limited number of SPED schools, with long waiting lists up to two years[41].
    • MOE has said that parents contribute to longer wait lists and waiting times for admission by fixating on a single school
  • Lack of pathways for SPED students to enter/re-enter the mainstream education system, or to access the mainstream curricula (e.g., Physical Education, Home Economics).
    • Some argue that the divergence of the SPED curricula right from the start makes it impractical to re-join the mainstream education format
Tertiary Institutions (Polys/ITEs/JCs/CI/Universities & Lasalle/NAFA)
  • Raffles Institution, ACS(I) and Milliennia Institute have barrier free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)[42]
  • Disability Support Officers @ Special Education Needs (SEN) Support Offices
    • Available at each publicly-funded university, polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College
    • Provides holistic support for students with special educational needs, including in-class learning assistance and access arrangements.
  • There are also more than 1,500 polytechnic and ITE staff trained in basic SEN awareness and support. All polytechnic and ITE academic staff will be trained similarly over the next five years.[43]
Special Student Care Centres
  • Provides subsidised before and after school care services for students with special needs aged 7 to 18
  • MINDS' First Special Student Care Centre to open in 2019
Community Educational Support Services
Financial & Transport Support
  • High transport costs[45]
    • Some students with disabilities have physical impairments which make independent utilisation of public transport problematic for them
    • Parent availability to transport students is not always possible, particularly where both parents work
    • Costs still high for lower-income people with disabilities

Need for schools to provide reasonable accommodations to students with special educational needs| |

  • A handful of specialised mainstream primary and secondary schools have facilities and support for those with sensory, physical and learning disabilities; however, educators in mainstream schools generally lack the ability to engage meaningfully with students with special needs, their students might discriminate or even engage in bullying, and their parents may even resent having a special needs child in proximity
  • Tertiary institutions have special education needs units, disability support offices or equivalent, though these services tend to be unstructured and unsystematic
STATISTICS
  • 7 in 10 Singaporeans support the idea of inclusive education , but only 1 in 10 Singaporeans is sure about how to interact with a child with special needs[46]
  • 64% of Singaporeans are willing to share public spaces with disabled children, but not interact with them[46]
EXISTING RESOURCES GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Mainstream Primary Schools
  • Deaf/Hearing Impairment
    • Mayflower Primary School
  • Physical Disabilities
    • 57 primary schools have barrier-free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)
  • Learning Disabilities
    • DAS’ Main Literacy Programme
    • School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme
  • Not all mainstream primary schools are fully accessible. Few mainstream schools offer facilities for students with sensory impairments (VI/HI).
  • Primary school teachers often feel overwhelmed and ill-prepared to handle too many children with special needs and/or disabilities in a large class.[47]
  • Mainstream educators and students lack understanding of how to engage with people with disabilities without ignorance, pity or aggression[48] 
    • Especially those without prior contact with PWDs or training in special needs [49]
Mainstream Secondary Schools
  • Deaf/Hearing Impairment
    • Beatty Secondary School (Signing)
    • Outram Secondary School (Oral)
    • St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (Oral)
  • Visual Impairment
    • Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
    • Bedok South Secondary School
    • Dunearn Secondary School
  • Physical Disabilities
    • 34 secondary schools have barrier free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)
  • Learning Disabilities
    • DAS’ Main Literacy Programme
    • School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme
  • Not all mainstream secondary schools are fully accessible to all disability types
  • Mainstream educators and students lack understanding of how to engage with people with disabilities without ignorance, pity or aggression[48] 
Shadow Teachers
  • Provides shadow support to a student with special education needs in mainstream school settings (kindergartens and primary, secondary and international schools)[50]
  • Inclusion Therapy
Special Education (SPED) Schools
  • Serve students from 7-21 years of age
  • 19 SPED Schools funded by the government as of January 2018[40] , by APSN, Metta, PCS, MINDS, AWWA, Rainbow Centre, CPAS, ARC, AA, SAMH, Canossian Daughters and SAVH
  • Guided by the SPED Curriculum Framework
  • Limited number of SPED schools, with long waiting lists up to two years[41].
    • MOE has said that parents contribute to longer wait lists and waiting times for admission by fixating on a single school
  • Lack of pathways for SPED students to enter/re-enter the mainstream education system, or to access the mainstream curricula (e.g., Physical Education, Home Economics).
    • Some argue that the divergence of the SPED curricula right from the start makes it impractical to re-join the mainstream education format
Satellite Partnerships
  • Provide opportunities for integration between SPED and mainstream school students (e.g., learn together in mainstream classrooms for selected academic subjects, and co-organising joint activities such as CCAs and camps) [51]
  • 16 SPED schools have been involved as of 2014[52]
  • MSF is considerning Recommendation 6 of EM3: To enhance opportunities for interaction between mainstream and SPED students in Recommendation 6, with satellite partnerships as a good model[3]
Tertiary Institutions (Polys/ITEs/JCs/CI/Universities & Lasalle/NAFA)
  • Disability Support Officers @ Special Education Needs (SEN) Support Offices
    • Available at each publicly-funded university, polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College
    • Provides holistic support for students with special educational needs, including in-class learning assistance and access arrangements.
  • Raffles Institution, ACS(I) and Milliennia Institute have barrier free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)[42]
  • There are also more than 1,500 polytechnic and ITE staff trained in basic SEN awareness and support. All polytechnic and ITE academic staff will be trained similarly over the next five years.[43]
  • Satelite Loan Libraries
    • Allows students to borrow assistive technologies at a library at Temasek Polytechnic, soon to be implemented at Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic too
  • Disability services in Singapore’s Higher Education sector tend to vary in terms of structure and consistency, and is in need of alignment across IHLs
ITE's Buddy’IN
  • Co-curricular activity which brings students of different abilities together[53]
Gaps
  1. Ambiguity over what ‘inclusive education’ means. 
    • UNCRPD Article 24 gives an idea , but there is no coordinating or national policy about inclusion from which mainstream and SPED schools can develop their inclusive programmes and practice
    • Some tend to describe inclusion as only placement in a mainstream classroom, while others mistakenly assume it is a one-size-fits-all approach
    • EI professionals describe it as “special needs children being accepted for who they are and given opportunities to learn, grow, develop their full potentials and live meaningfully”  
  2. Bullying of students with special needs
    • Children with SEN are more vulnerable 
    • 2 in 3 Singaporeans worry that children with special needs are at risk of being bullied  

Need for students to be prepared for work and independent living| |

  • Vocational training in SPED is structured with a Framework for Vocational Education in place, but it tends to under-emphasise soft skills required for employment, and has not kept up to date with automation and other market developments.
  • While SPED graduates typically learn how to be independent, those with developmental disabilities have a harder time retaining ADL skills upon exiting school. Newer living skills are also increasingly pertinent in a digital age, such as digital literacy and cyber-wellness.
EXISTING RESOURCES GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Special Education (SPED) Schools
  • Serve students from 7-21 years of age
  • 19 SPED Schools funded by the government as of January 2018[40] , by APSN, Metta, PCS, MINDS, AWWA, Rainbow Centre, CPAS, ARC, AA, SAMH, Canossian Daughters and SAVH
  • Pathlight School is the first local special needs school that has started to teach students how to code
  • Guided by the SPED Curriculum Framework
  • Level of vocational skill training across SPED schools is uneven[3]
  • The SPED curriculum over-emphasises the acquisition of hard skills as opposed to soft, employability skills, e.g., attending an interview, anger management, effective communication with co-workers
  • The SPED curriculum has not sufficiently incorporated topics on digital media literacy (e.g., Facebook, Whatsapp, cyberwellness) necessary for daily living
    • Dispute: "Cyberwellness is addressed among the SPED schools, and MOE Special Education Division has been working on this for the past 2 years."
  • Need to help daily living skills and activities of daily living be retained even after exiting school
    • This is more applicable to people with developmental disabilities who are in DACs, to help increase independence and possibly reduce demand for disability homes in the future.
  • MSF is considering Recommendation 5 of EM3: To place greater focus on life skills in the SPED curriculum[3]
  • Society Staples is working on a digital literacy course for people with developmental disabilities, funded by the LearnSG Seed Fund
  • Cyber Wellness Toolkit for Special Needs Students[54]
  • IMDA is working on a pilot programme, to be introduced in special education schools, for students with disabilities on how to stay safe online
School-to-Work (S2W) Transition Programme
  • Jointly launched by MSF, MOE and SG Enable in 2014
  • Students with the potential to work are referred by SPED schools to SG Enable, who matches them to job training; students receive on-site job training from job coaches for up to one year after graduation leading to employment
  • EM3 = plans to scale the programme up
Vocational Certification Programmes
  • Metta School
    • Students who successfully complete the programme will receive the Institute of Technical Education Skills Certificate (ISC).
  • APSN Delta Senior School
    • Students who successfully complete the programme will receive the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ).
  • Students who successfully attain the ISC or WSQ may apply for jobs in the open market or attend further advanced training (e.g., at ITEs to pursue the National ITE Certificate (NITEC) as long as they meet course pre-requisites)
  • Vocational training provided by SPED schools has not kept up with changing job market. Along with automation and digitalisation there is an increasing emphasis on specialist skills such as accounting, graphic design, teaching and administrative work, crowding out simple manual jobs[55]
    • SPD book binding orders and restoration services plunged by about 40% since 2010[56]
    • Bizlink lost contracts for printing and packing of red packets because businesses are outsourcing jobs to other countries in the region[56]
  • Review vocational training to ensure that skills and knowledge taught meet the changing needs of the job market
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