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SINGAPORE : More help will be given to special education schools run by voluntary welfare organisations.
For a start, special needs students will get more money for school enrichment programmes.
From 2011, annual top-ups into each Edusave Pupils Fund will go up by S$40 to S$240.
Each Edusave Grant account will get S$90, up from the current S$50.
The Education Ministry (MOE) will also provide schools with funding to create an awards scheme for special needs students who are Singapore citizens. The type and quantum of each award will be up to each school to determine.
There will also be more opportunities for special needs students to interact with peers from mainstream schools.
These could take the form of joint community projects.
Students will also get more support to attend classes in mainstream schools.
Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Education, said: "Resources such as funding and manpower will be provided to help sustain these partnerships and achieve the desired objectives. MOE specialists will also guide the schools in planning integration activities and monitor its impact on pupils."
The ministry will also roll out a structured reading programme to all special education schools. The Reading Mastery programmes emphasise a high level of interaction between the teacher and student, and a pilot introduced in 2009 has seen positive results. - CNA/ms
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