Special needs students will have better-developed art lessons co-taught by artists, thanks to a new National Arts Council (NAC) programme officially launched on Wednesday. The NAC Artist-Special Education (Sped) School Partnership Programme will bring a stronger arts curriculum into Sped schools all over Singapore.

Schools can propose art classes they feel will benefit their students - such as drumming, sculpting or drama - and NAC will fund up to $17,000 over two years to support these programmes. It will also match artists from their Arts Education Programmes to each school. These artists will work together with teachers to develop art classes for students with special learning needs.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong visited the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled (Minds) Lee Kong Chian Gardens School on Wednesday, dropping in on a ceramics class helmed by ceramics artist Madam Tan Lee Meng. The ceramics class hopes to improve their motor and sensory skills.

The programme was piloted last year in five schools - including Lee Kong Chian Gardens and Asian Women's Welfare Association (Awwa) School. NAC hopes more Sped schools will come on board in the coming years.

Currently, NAC has 20 artists trained to teach special needs students, under a partnership started in July with the Social Service Institute.