9 March 2002

SPEECH BY DR NG ENG HEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER AT THE AWWA SPECIAL SCHOOL'S 22ND ANNIVERSARY OFFICIAL OPENING OF ART EXHIBITION AT NANYANG ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS (SHORT STREET CAMPUS) ON
SATURDAY 9TH MARCH 2002 AT 4.00 PM

1 First of all, I would like to congratulate the Asian Women's Welfare Association, AWWA in short, on the occasion of its 22nd anniversary of providing services to children with multiple disabilities. It has been more than 20 years since a pioneer group of volunteers decided to fill a service gap for children with multiple disabilities. They took on the challenge of providing services for this group of children as their parents look for professional help over and above what the home could provide.

2 This group of altruistic and compassionate volunteers, led by Mrs Leaena Tambyah, initiated a playgroup for children with multiple disabilities. From its humble beginnings, the AWWA playgroup grew and developed into a professional educational service to educate and train children with multiple disabilities. AWWA Special School came into being, with a mission to help such children achieve lifeskills and build confidence to face the future with hope and dignity.

3 Over the last 22 years, AWWA Special School has made significant contributions in raising the quality of lives of children with multiple disabilities and assisting their families. Its services include an early intervention programme for children from birth to 4 years who are developmentally at risk. Today, AWWA Special School serves 145 pupils in its special education programme and early intervention programme.

4 I know that the pioneering spirit among the AWWA volunteers is still very much alive today. The association had recently embarked on yet another project in response to the plight of autistic children who are waiting to gain admission into special schools. Your "Project Challenge" is indeed noteworthy. I would like to commend AWWA for its strong community spirit in responding to the emerging needs of autistic children and taking on the challenge of providing places for them in your school. The project is certainly a step in the right direction and it has taken off to a good start. 18 autistic children have already been admitted into this project, and another 42 children will be admitted later on. It is my hope that as you gain more experience, you will expand the project to reach out to more autistic children. Your contribution is significant, as you will be able to help autistic children receive the specialised care that they need in a special environment.

5 The needs of children with autism have been a concern to their parents. We understand these concerns. In the last one year, MOE and NCSS have been working towards creating more places in special schools to take in children with autism. Let me provide you with an update on our joint effort. Towards the end of last year, NCSS obtained the support of another 9 special schools to set up classes for autistic children. To help special schools develop teacher capability in managing autistic children, a special training fund of $200,000 has been set aside to sponsor teachers for training in autism. This fund is co-funded by MOE and NCSS.

6 We have also collaborated with the Autism Resource Centre to conduct a 4-year training programme beginning in March this year. Our target is that by end of 2005, there will be 144 special school teachers trained in autism and of whom, 72 will hold the Certificate in Autism. As teachers complete their training in autism, classes for autistic children will be set up. We target for an intake of some 100 autistic children entering the special schools each year. This means that come January 2006, the current enrolment of 338 autistic children in the special schools will be increased by some 400 to more than 700.

7 I look forward to the day when autistic children do not need to wait for admission. However, MOE and NCSS cannot achieve this alone. It is the active contributions of VWOs who are ready to come on board into this partnership with government and NCSS to bring our plans to fruition. AWWA is an example of a responsive VWO with a mission for children with special needs.

8 On our part, MOE will continue to support VWOs in their service to children with special needs. In our multi-tier approach to the education of children with special needs, those who are able to follow the mainstream curriculum, will study in mainstream schools. In certain designated schools, special facilities and additional resources are provided to meet the needs of children with physical or sensory disabilities. A number of our teachers and principals in mainstream schools have made a special effort to accommodate these children. I have been told that AWWA presented its `Friendly School Awards' to 5 mainstream schools and 1 ITE, for their outstanding efforts in eradicating all barriers and enabling the full integration of the physically disabled pupils into mainstream schools. These schools are:

I am very proud of these schools. By doing what they have done, they have demonstrated their compassion for the less fortunate in our society, and set a good example for others to follow.

9 Finally, I am happy to note that today's exhibition is the result of the various art activities organised by the school using the Edusave Funds provided by MOE. It is good to see how the Edusave funds have been put to good use in providing an opportunity for pupils to be creative and for their achievements to be acknowledged in a public exhibition.

10 I wish the School many more fruitful years as you raise funds for a purpose-built school to reach out to more children with special needs. To the many volunteers, your passion and strong support for the children in the school serve as an inspiration to us all. Your willingness to work with the children and your love are instrumental in helping the children grow. Thank you for caring, and for being here for the children.

11 Last but not least, I wish all in the audience a good time as you view the exhibits. It now gives me great pleasure in declaring this art exhibition open. Thank you.

	Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School,
	Temasek Primary School,
	Bedok South Secondary School,
	Bendemeer Secondary School,
	Yuhua Secondary School and
	ITE West (Clementi).