Careers in special needs education and rehabilitation

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Yip Hon Weng, Yio Chu Kang

Question

To ask 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.

Response

1. 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.

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

1. 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.
2. MOE will increase funding to SPED schools between 2024 to 2026 to raise the average salaries for teachers and teacher aides to maintain market competitiveness and strengthen the professionalism of SPED educators.