Students Progressing from Special Education School into ITE Progammes

90 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the number of students who have progressed from special education (SPED) schools into ITE programmes in the last five years, both as an absolute number and as a percentage of the total number of students from the same cohort; and (b) whether there are plans for more SPED to ITE transitions in the future.

Mr Desmond Lee: Students who attend Special Education (SPED) schools have moderate-to-severe Special Educational Needs. Their needs are diverse as are their strengths, interests and preferences.

In the last five years, there were around 480 SPED graduates each year. Among them, around 90 had accessed the national curriculum. An average of around 70 each year, or around 80% of the SPED graduates from this group, completed the GCE "N" or "O" levels and progressed to Private Schools for Education and Inclusion, such as Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnics.

Other SPED students with higher support needs access the customised SPED curriculum. For those who complete vocational certification in SPED, a small group of around 10 graduates each year also progress to ITE while the majority from this group eventually become employed directly. For those with more diverse needs, we will work with partners under the MOE-SG Enable School-to-Work Transition Programme to facilitate transitions from school to the workplace for them.