Installation of Elderly-friendly Facilities in Schools to Cater to Ageing Teaching Workforce and Those with Mobility Issues
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the provision of elderly-friendly facilities in schools to accommodate an ageing teaching workforce and those with mobility issues. Ms K Thanaletchimi inquired about the current availability of lifts and the Ministry of Education’s plans for schools lacking such infrastructure. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim responded that approximately 70% of government schools currently have lifts, with the rest slated for installation within five years. He clarified that these enhancements are integrated during major upgrades or through a special program, involving consultation with teachers and consideration of demographic needs. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary further noted that while specific location priorities are evaluated, the Ministry remains committed to ensuring barrier-free accessibility for all school stakeholders.
Transcript
13 Ms K Thanaletchimi asked the Minister for Education (a) how many schools are currently equipped with elderly-friendly facilities like lifts or escalators to cater to the ageing teaching workforce and those who have mobility issues; and (b) for those schools without these facilities, whether there are any plans to install such facilities.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, MOE includes barrier-free accessibility enhancements, including lifts, whenever new schools are built or existing schools undergo major upgrading. About 70% of our Government Primary and Secondary schools are currently fitted with lifts.
The remaining schools would be provided with lifts over the next five years, either as part of their scheduled major upgrading works, or else as a special lift upgrading programme.
Ms K Thanaletchimi (Nominated Member): I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. I just wish to know, when lifts are built, are the teachers consulted on the locations where the lifts are to be built? Is there any consultation or review with the teachers in the school before it has been planned to be built?
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. Yes, certainly, we not only consult the teachers, we also look at the demographics, the students' profile and the teaching needs availability and requirement of the people who work within the school as well as those who use the facilities. We will continue to do this to ensure that it provides as much as possible barrier-free accessibility to all the stakeholders.
Ms K Thanaletchimi: Mr Speaker, Sir, I just wish to highlight that one or two of the schools, they built lifts near to the gym. Gym is supposed to be where students exercise and they are supposed to be climbing the stairways, but instead the lifts are built alongside and not at the mainstream classrooms' column. So, I just wonder whether a lot of consultation have gone in before even planning the lifts' location.
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: I thank the Member again for the supplementary question. I think this is a very specific case. I will get further details from her. Nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier, this is something that we always look out for. We speak to the teaching community in the school and, at the same time, there may be issues of greater priority that we want to tackle in certain schools, which I may be able to share with the Member later.