Special needs children in Singapore's education system

Hurdles to higher education

Ms Koh Soek Ying and her son Ryan, who has special needs. She set up Mustard Tree, a social enterprise that trains or hires people with special needs to create craft products for sale. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID
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Fewer than two in 10 - or 15 per cent - of students who graduate from special education schools go on to mainstream post-secondary schools, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Education (MOE).

This means that about 5,100 out of the current 6,000 students who are studying in special education schools now are unlikely to continue their studies in junior colleges, polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education after they leave school at the age of 18.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on May 26, 2019, with the headline Hurdles to higher education. Subscribe