Barriers to learning
There is a woeful lack of educational facilities and services for special needs children.
BY this year, 30% of special needs students are supposed to be enjoying inclusive education. By 2025, it should be 75%, according to the Malaysia Education Blueprint. But reality bites.
For a sizeable number of students with mild forms of learning difficulties, gaining a foothold in the mainstream education system is akin to swimming with their legs tied. The odds are stacked against them.
The Orang Kurang Upaya (Less Abled Person) card issued by the Welfare Department enables persons with disabilities access to financial aid and services, but it also denies them inclusive education.
Although the Persons With Disabilities Act 2008 decries discrimination, there is no penalty for it. So legal recourse is not an option for families. Ultimately, it is the school principal who decides if a special needs child will be allowed to enroll in school.
Pressed for time and compounded by the demands teachers face in meeting their Key Performance Index, students who need more than a little nudge to keep their grades and behaviour up may be sidelined in favour of those who excel academically and socially.
Consequently, many languish under the “Special Education Integrated Programme” (SEIP), which in itself is a misnomer because participants in this programme are segregated from mainstream students, even though they may share the same school compound. According to the Education Ministry, 99.2% or 47,994, of learning disabled students in Malaysia are in the SEIP.
“The current education programme is failing children with learning disabilities,” says National Early Childhood Intervention Council president Datuk Dr Amar Singh. They include slow learners, those who have autism spectrum disorder, and those who have been diagnosed with dyslexia, Down Syndrome, and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
There are families with children who are verbal and have near normal IQ but lack social skills and may have sensory issues that manifest as behavioural problems. Some opt out of the SEIP to enrol their children in private schools that offer inclusive education, despite the hefty fees. But what about families who cannot afford such schools?
It is a serious concern considering that between 10% and 16% of children born in the country have some form of disability and behavioural issues, notes Dr Amar who also heads the Paediatric Department in Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Ipoh.
Drawing on his vast experience in diagnosing children and training doctors, as well as his active participation in community-based initiatives since 1978, Dr Amar observes that “The size of the problem is huge. It will take a determined effort to meet the need.
“But we must not despair,” he told the participants at a recent forum entitled “Working Together To Make A Difference: Addressing Policies, Services And Support For Children With Special Needs”, organised by by Dika Kolej, which specialises in Early Childhood Education.
At the forum, Pemandu’s (Performance Management Delivery Unit) director of education Tengku Azian Shahriman concedes that while strides have been made in special needs