THE Ministry of Education is working with several Rotary clubs in both Malaysia and Australia to train teachers for special needs children in Malaysia.
Recently, the Rotary Club (RC) of Melawati together with five other Rotary Clubs (RC) of District 3300 and six Rotary Clubs of District 9800 Australia organised a Special Needs Children Education Training (SNCETT) project in Australia.
The Special Needs Education Teachers - five from government schools and three from private institutions left for Australia for five and half weeks of hands-on training in specialised facilities in Victoria.
The project is fully funded by Rotary Clubs with no financial implications to the MoE and the various NGOs.
Rotary Clubs in Malaysia together with sponsors provided the expenses for the flight arrangements, visa, insurance and an allowance for the teachers, while Rotary Clubs in Australia will arrange and provide the logistics, homestay and the training.
The eight teachers left for Melbourne on April 13, 2024 and will return to Kuala Lumpur on May 22.
The SNCETT involves hands-on training in specialised facilities in the cities of Echuca, Bendigo and Melbourne which are all located in the state of Victoria, Australia. The objective of this training is for the teachers to observe, learn and practise leading pedagogical approaches and techniques in special education.
Besides the training, the teachers will be included in home-hosting, joining events and tourism opportunities in Australia that will achieve the objective of promoting the cultural exchange between our two countries.
On their return to Malaysia, the participating teachers will share their new knowledge and skills with their peers and the families of children with disabilities alike, thus creating a much-needed ripple effect.
The Vibes spoke exclusively to a few of the teachers and Musfirah Nalini Abd Rashid said, “I am eager to learn as much as I can on classroom management, career transition programme and inclusive education. I aim to bring back new perspectives and fresh ideas for my colleagues who work with special needs children,".
Her training colleague Punitha Sengodan added that she believes that this program will provide her with tools for person-centred education and better adapting lessons based on different learning types and levels and she’s also keen to know more techniques on classroom management, transition programme and inclusive education.
Felixia Lee Choon Fong chimed in,” I hope with this trip, I can learn from educators from a diverse background, exploring innovative ways to integrate inclusion for children with special needs. If possible, I’d love to learn more about school and workforce transitioning programmes.”
The other teachers include Nuraimi Nadirah Rohim, Maizarith Binti Ismail, Vasanta Ganesan, Foo Hor Yern and Tay Mi Shyuan. - The Vibes, April 24, 2024
