So I asked if people were accepting towards the students.
‘We will always have those that are not,’ she said. ‘But nowadays people are more accepting because we are gently pushing the children out to them, so that it is easier for the children to reach them, and for them to reach the children.’
‘Personally I think what most of us wish for,’ said Fauziah, ‘would be for our schools to be seen as an educational institution.
At the moment, schools and centres are still fragmented. They remain under the care of social welfare and voluntary organisations, and are not looked after like other schools are. Hence it is still difficult for the public to see them as real schools, and to recognise the children as honest-to-goodness students. There is progress – schools have excellent models and frameworks – but it is far from enough.
‘Maybe I am biased,’ said I. ‘But I think that there could be so much more that can be done to help special needs children.’
‘Well, our schools and students need extra help and resources. At the same time we do operate independently, and with that freedom and flexibility, we produce a lot of good results,’ Fauziah said. ‘But as I have mentioned it is possible to balance it all – independence and having some measure of support like the regular independent schools.’
The 8th Step
‘I think the teachers and therapists get too little credit,’ said I. ‘They are unsung heroes. It hardly seems fair.’
‘I cannot say that is untrue,’ agreed the good lady. ‘They hardly get any recognition, and their salary is not equal to the changes they make. Yes, I believe that Special Education staff could stand to get a little more acknowledgement for their work. It would do so much good for their morale.’
The staff will always be there, of course, she said. It is due to them that programmes work. A programme is successful when teachers believe it will be. A lot of it rides on the staff’s conviction. However Special Educators too need the chance to prove themselves equal to such challenges.
‘Especially since they are doing one of the most magnificent jobs out there,’ I said.
I knew it. These special education staff were truly worth their weight in gold, and that it was one of our best-kept secrets.
‘Sometimes we lose staff to private institutions, commercial places that pay better,’ she said. ‘It cannot be helped. They try their best, but the salary is not enough. Teachers need to make a living, too.’
‘This could be helped,’ I said.
‘It is one of the things I feel could be looked into,’ observed Fauziah. ‘Salaries. School fees too. Some special schools charge hefty fees. If we had a standard to base the fees upon, special needs parents can be relieved of heavy school costs. Salaries could also be set at a standard.’
‘I agree,’ I said. ‘No matter how much people like to avoid the subject, money is still a question everyone asks. Whether directly, or quietly to themselves.’
The 9th Step
I flipped through my notes, then I remembered something.
‘Did anything happen on World Autism Awareness Day 2011?’ I asked. ‘There was no news about it. Nothing happened in 2010, I think.’
Fauziah nodded. ‘We did have some events on World Autism Awareness Day this year [2011]. There was a seminar and a carnival. We held a collaboration with the National University of Singapore DUKE medical students.’
‘It was not publicised, though, was it?’ I asked.
She shook her head. ‘It was, but maybe not enough.’
‘I suppose it is a start,’ I said. ‘Well... one last question. If volunteers wanted to come in, all they would have to do is call the school?’
‘Yes,’ smiled Fauziah. ‘They could also approach us directly. We do have a volunteer coordinator.’
‘Things will continue to change.’ I ended the interview on a buoyant note, rising from my seat and gathering my notebooks.
‘They will,’ said Fauziah.
I shook her hand and thanked her again for having me, before taking my leave.
Outside the administration office, it was the usual busy scene – the children gathered in the front hall, waiting to be taken home. It was a Friday evening, and I hoped they would have a good weekend.
The 10th Step: The Rook in the Castle
There were still more questions I wanted to ask. I met with an expert whom I shall refer to as the Doctor.
It is not easy to become an expert. Part of the process requires one to obtain pieces of shiny paper with ornate curly fonts, preserved inside attractive frames. The rest of it is time, memory, and skill.
The Doctor told me he started out as a clinical psychologist in hospitals. He spent time in clinics and private practice, and had had the experience of helping autism parents before. Somewhere along the way, he became intrigued enough to dive right into the field of autism. He has been in it for fourteen years now, working both in his hometown and abroad, teaching and lecturing, training teachers at the National Institute of Education (NIE), and conducting research.
As the Doctor himself summed up, he had been ‘here and there’.
The 11th Step
I asked him how he taught teachers.
He first informed me that all Ministry of Education teachers are required to have a bit of special needs knowledge, not just Special Education teachers.
‘It is a must,’ said he. ‘The training is not as detailed, however. It is a hundred hours of basic training in NIE. If the teachers decide to specialise, then that is a different thing altogether.’
The Doctor said that besides teaching specialised teachers, he also trains those who are to be special needs support staff (including Special Needs Officers) in mainstream schools. All special education teachers must earn a diploma from NIE before they can teach.
‘They have to
