The Singaporean government has decided to roll out a new vocational education syllabus for students in 20 special education schools to provide them with crucial work skills. The new syllabus aims to expose students ages 13 to 18 to a broader range of job activities and customise the learning according to their needs.
Schools adopting this new syllabus will focus on developing crucial soft skills, such as:
Additionally, schools will expose students to a broader range of work concepts, such as home-based work and independent businesses, to open employment and supported work.
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In open employment, people with special needs work with their colleagues independently. In contrast, a supported work environment provides additional support in the workplace in the form of job modifications and coaches.
The new syllabus launched on 27th July promotes the belief that special needs individuals can contribute to the country's economic development. It also aims to remove the possibility of these individuals not getting paid adequately due to their disabilities.
Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman stated that all special needs students could contribute to society in their own way. With this belief in mind, Osman highlighted the need to familiarise students with all kinds of work environments.