Page 13 - Mainstreamer Volume 1 Issue 2 Feb 2023
P. 13
CRITICAL THOUGHT
In Singapore, at that time, there
is still no special school for
Sarimah,exept for students with
physically challenged children.
(Image source: https://www.pexels.
com/photo/black-and-white-
childhood-children-cute-460032/)
It’s called specific learning disabilities. It outlines realize that in order to be ranked among the
further the specific areas that one needs help best, you must ensure that everyone is on the
with. They have the oral expression LD, listening same page. Having children who are intellectually
comprehension LD, basic writing LD, basic reading challenged in regular schools would impede the
and comprehension LD, basic maths as well as achievements that our policymakers and leaders
maths and problem solving LD. While all these hoped to achieve. Every child will be subjected
are the difficulties, they are grouped by disorders to ‘screenings’ conducted by highly qualified
known as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. teachers. Any difficulty or challenge that arises will
be addressed immediately. That’s how Sarinah’s
1. Dyslexia is characterized by difficulty in reading condition was identified and action was taken.
and comprehending languages.
The initiatives you see today, including inclusive
2. Dysgraphia is the inability to write and education policies, fundings, partnerships, training,
comprehend the relationship between written and highly resourceful schools, are the result of a
and spoken words. 360-degree effort to tackle the dire need of helping
3. Dyscalculia is the inability to comprehend our challenged children. Dr. Dixie Tan, a former
calculus/math or anything involving numbers. . member of parliament who had 2 educationally
challenged children, founded the Association for
In the 1970s, Singapore had a policy known as the Educationally Subnormal because she could
“stop-at-two.” The policy was so successful that not find a school that would cater to her 2 special
Singapore’s population started to decline. Sarinah’s children.
birth was against the policy, and as a result, my
parents were forfeited in many ways. There were no special schools for special
children, such as my sister, Sarinah. Yes, we have
It is our leaders’ responsibility to place the special schools, but they are mostly for physically
“little red dot” on the map. To achieve this, handicapped children. When intervention took
the government had to work hard to transform place, my sister was quickly whisked to these
Singapore from a third world country to a bustling special schools. She spent many hours at such
first world country. As a nation with only people as schools participating in excursions and a lot of
a natural resource, the government would be wise outdoor activities such as swimming and track
to empower the nation through education. Our and field sports. I do not recall an event in which
educational system is ranked among the best in she had to perform any calculation, reading, or
the world. But everything has a cost. comprehending. Children with disability were
trained at the Arthur Road Training Centre.
You do not have to be a rocket scientist to However, I strongly feel that the training did
Vol. 01, Issue 2 | February 2023 12
