Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower, at the Chaoyang School Open House on Saturday, 18 August 2007 at 9.15 am

SPEECH BY MR GAN KIM YONG, MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND MINISTRY OF MANPOWER AT THE CHAOYANG SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE ON SATURDAY, 18 AUGUST 2007 AT 9.15 AM

1 I am pleased to join you this morning at the Chaoyang School Open House. It was only some ten months ago when I was here for the official opening of the school on 28 Oct last year. I commend the school for taking the intiative to organise today’s Open House.

2 This is a good platform for the school to introduce itself to the neighbourhood, to show case its work in providing education and training for students who need a different education approach. It is also an opportunity for parents to better understand the school programmes and allow the community partners, to see how the partnership has benefited the school and the students.

3 The partnership between the school, parent-volunteers and the community at large plays an important part in enriching and broadening the experiences of the pupils. Today’s event is also a celebration of this partnership. I commend all parent-volunteers and the organizations who are represented here today – for your commitment and contributions. I encourage you to continue with this meaningful partnership for many more years to come.

4 SPED schools form an integral part of the overall education landscape in Singapore. Hence, it is important that SPED schools engage in meaningful activities with mainstream schools for the benefit of their students and teachers. To facilitate such collaborations and networking, MOE has in April this year linked all the SPED schools with mainstream schools through the school cluster system. Besides participation in school related activities, mainstream teachers can also opt for work attachment in SPED schools and vice-versa. I am happy to know that this is in fact happening in Chaoyang. Since the beginning of this term, Mrs Wong Check Siew, a teacher from Zhonghua Secondary School, has begun her work attachment at Chaoyang School as part of her professional development. This is an important step towards building collaborative ties between the two schools. Teachers from Chaoyang School could possibly do a reciprocal work attachment at Zhonghua in future. Such arrangements help broaden the knowledge and enrich the experiences of mainstream and SPED school teachers.

5 To raise the professionalism of the SPED teachers, MOE and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), have put in place a range of professional development opportunities to promote the culture of continuous learning and sharing of best practices.

• Firstly, each teacher is given up to $1100 each year for school-based and customized training.

• Secondly, a Curriculum Fund has been set up to enhance the capability of the SPED schools. I understand that with this fund, 4 overseas experts have been engaged to provide consultancy and training for SPED teachers on Teaching Children with Autism, Curriculum Design & Improvement, Social & Emotional Learning and Job Coaching & Assessment.

• Thirdly, an innovation Grant for Teaching and Learning has been introduced to help SPED schools develop niche areas.

• Fourthly, MOE has also engaged the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) to customize management and personal effectiveness courses for both the teaching and non-teaching staff of the SPED schools.

• Not forgetting the school leaders, a total of 31 school leaders have been trained under the Special Education Leaders’ Programme. In Jan 2008, 10 middle management staff from SPED schools will be joining mainstream Heads of Departments in a Management & Leadership in Schools programme conducted by NIE.

6 I strongly encourage all SPED educators to take advantage of these professional development opportunities to further enrich your teaching experience.

7 Teachers are the heartware of the schools, more so in SPED schools. They play a crucial role in the development of their students. Teaching calls for dedicated professionals who must be able to recognise the needs and potential of their individual students and are able to effectively guide their students to achieve their best.

8 MOE recognizes the crucial role that SPED school teachers play in shaping the lives of their pupils. To this end, MOE, together with NCSS, will be inaugurating the MOE-NCSS SPED Teacher Award. This award, to be presented in Nov this year, gives recognition to the crucial role SPED teachers play in the education of children with special needs. We are now inviting nominations. Anyone can nominate – be it students, ex-students, colleagues, school leaders and members of the School Management Committees. Parents, too, can nominate a teacher for the award if you feel that the teacher has made a significant impact in the growth and development of your child.

9 In conjunction with this MOE-NCSS SPED Teacher Award, there will also be an Innovation Award to recognize innovation and excellence in SPED schools. This will be given to innovations that improve pupils’ learning and contribute to the development of a culture of excellence in SPED schools.

10 In conclusion, today’s Open House is a good opportunity for parents and community partners to learn how the school helps your children to learn better and to draw out the best in them. I hope that parents and community partners will continue to support the school and its programmes.