Encouraging Prospective Tertiary Students to Pursue Careers in Special Needs Education

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Education given the growing demand for special needs education, whether the Ministry will be considering initiatives to encourage and train more prospective tertiary students to pursue careers in special needs education and rehabilitation.

Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Education (MOE) works closely with the social service agencies to attract and retain Special Education (SPED) educators to meet the growing demand for SPED teachers, teacher aides, allied professionals and vocational educators in SPED schools. There are ongoing recruitment efforts to attract university graduates and diploma holders from diverse backgrounds with the relevant skills, competencies and dispositions, including efforts in partnering Institutes of Higher Learning.

Beyond recruitment, MOE is also committed to strengthening the SPED sector as a system.

First, we launched the Journeys of Excellence Package in 2020, to strengthen the professionalism of SPED teachers. This package comprised the SPED teacher career and competency frameworks and training roadmap to provide clarity on career progression, as well as roles and expectations. In 2022, we enhanced the Diploma in Special Education (DISE) to better equip SPED teachers with the necessary skills and competencies. Participation in DISE is a requirement for all SPED teachers and is sponsored by MOE.

MOE will increase funding to SPED schools between 2024 and 2026 to raise the average salaries for teachers and teacher aides to maintain market competitiveness and strengthen the professionalism of the SPED sector.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his response. I just have a very short supplementary question. Will the Ministry consider exploring alternative pathways into special needs education, such as attracting professionals with relevant experience from other fields through conversion programmes?

Mr Speaker, the short answer is yes. We welcome anyone who is keen to join the SPED sector. We know this SPED sector is a very challenging sector to be in. It requires determination. It requires passion. It is a calling.

So, we welcome Mr Yip's suggestion and we will look into various ways and work with the social service agencies who are operating the SPED schools, to encourage a lot more people, even through conversion, if there are interested individuals to do so and they are keen to participate in the training programme. As mentioned earlier, we have developed a framework for them to go through professional development, including the starting course, which is a Diploma in Special Education.