IPOH: The Ministry of Education is encouraging more prospective teachers to choose special education as their teaching option in response to growing demand for Special Education Integrated Programme classes in primary schools nationwide.
Deputy Minister Wong Kah Woh said about 90% of special education teaching positions have been filled currently, but the ministry aims to increase this to 97% in the near future.
“Parents are becoming more aware of the importance and role of PPKI classes, which in turn is driving up demand,“ he said.
“Therefore, the MOE wants to ensure there are enough trained teachers to be placed in primary schools offering this option across the country.”
He made the statement after officiating the groundbreaking ceremony for PPKI classroom construction at SJKC Chung Tak in Kampung Simee.
As of July 31, a total of 10,359 special education teachers were serving nationwide with 6,799 PPKI classes established across national schools, Tamil national-type schools and Chinese national-type schools.
Wong explained that all special education teachers are trained at Institutes of Teacher Education nationwide.
“In addition to popular options such as Malay, Chinese, English, Mathematics and Science, special education is also vital as it offers a meaningful and relevant career path in teaching,“ he said.
Regarding approval of new PPKI classes, Wong stated applications are assessed based on three main criteria: student demand, availability of facilities and teacher staffing.
He emphasised that providing adequate infrastructure such as classrooms, toilets and support equipment is a key requirement before school approval.
“We want to ensure that areas with high demand are not left behind in gaining access to proper special education, while also ensuring smooth learning processes,“ he added. – Bernama