Sped schools to get new vocational education syllabus

A new vocational education syllabus will be rolled out for students in 20 special education (Sped) schools in January to better prepare them for work.

Under the new syllabus, students aged 13 to 18 will get a wider range of job exposure activities, and schools will focus more on soft skills such as communication.

Schools will also adopt a broader concept of work, including home-based work and self-employment.

Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman, who launched the revamped syllabus yesterday at Rainbow Centre Yishun Park School, said: "Our new syllabus recognises that work comes in different forms.

"We want to recognise the valued contribution that our students can make in a range of settings, from open employment to supported and customised employment, from sheltered employment to home-based work and volunteering."

The latest syllabus builds on the Ministry of Education's (MOE) 2010 framework for vocational education, one of the seven key parts of the Sped curriculum that has been progressively revamped since 2020. The teaching and learning syllabuses for two areas - daily living skills and visual arts - were launched last year.

The remaining aspects, like communication and language, numeracy, social-emotional learning and physical education, will be rolled out over the next few years.

Dr Maliki said that beyond hard skills, the syllabus will also equip students with soft skills such as communication and adaptability.

MOE will work with SG Enable to develop a training road map for job coaches in Sped schools to better equip them professionally.

Students will be given more avenues to explore work in the community or school.

The latest syllabus comes amid efforts to improve job prospects for Sped graduates.

Currently, about 450 students graduate from these schools a year. Around half of them are employed in sectors such as horticulture or progress to institutes of higher learning, such as the Institute of Technical Education.

Educators said the greater emphasis on soft skills is a good move, as they have observed how such abilities are crucial for work.

Madam So Kah Lay, principal of Metta School, which caters to students with mild intellectual disabilities and autism, said: "Soft skills are just as important as hard skills, if not more, as those are what keep you in a job."

Having a broader definition of work is also refreshing, she said.

"It means that everyone is covered, even those who were previously deemed as not capable of work," she added.

"You never know - a community project like gardening or drawing could turn into paid work."

Ms Ong Zeng Zi, a teacher at AWWA School @ Napiri, said the broader work definition could help open more doors for Sped graduates to participate meaningfully in society.

"The challenge will be in redefining remuneration," she said, and going beyond traditional monetary rewards to recognising positive experiences such as social interaction and friendship.

Mr Edwin Tang's 17-year-old daughter Megan, who has Down syndrome, enjoys dancing as part of an inclusive dance group that performs at community functions.

"It is commendable that the schools are moving in this direction of recognising such contributions and will provide more of such training," he said.

Mr Tang, 52, a finance manager, said: "For many parents, it is still about dollars and cents. But we also have to move beyond that - many people with special needs want to be recognised socially, beyond monetary terms."