Fatimah speaking to reporters after the event. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (Jan 22): Sarawak is considering setting up a state-owned vocational school or training centre so that students with disabilities (OKU) to pursue their studies after Form Five locally.
Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said that currently these students who want to attend vocational school must go to Kuala Lumpur as there is none here.
However, not many parents are willing to part with their children, and crossing the South China Sea to further their studies as they worry about their safety.
“We have previously applied to the Ministry of Education to set up a vocational school for students with disabilities for Sarawak and Sabah, for the eastern region so that they don’t need to cross the sea. This was agreed in principle, before the Pakatan Harapan government took over, and after that there is no news,” she said when met after handing over of welfare volunteer body grant to the Society for the Blind in Malaysia, Sarawak Branch here today.
“So, we made a decision to set up the vocational school for OKUs in Sarawak, but we have not decided if it will be in a school form or a complex for OKU training. If it’s a vocational school, there are a few things we need to do first like get permission from federal government. If we do it state-owned, it will be different, and we are discussing it.”
She said the discussion include the form of the school, which courses for which type of disabilities and the concept must be agreed on first.
On the type of courses, she said it is open for the OKUs themselves to suggest as some are interested in sports, some in arts and many other fields.
Thus, there is a gap that needs to fill as the OKUs have got mainstream schooling, intervention and now vocational studies once they complete Form Five, she said.
She said that currently, the OKUs get training for massages in Kuala Lumpur and upon completion, they can use the skill to earn a living. But this is very limited as they have other potentials and skills which can be honed for them to earn an income.
Asked on how soon this can be implemented, she said that it depends on how soon the concept paper can be completed, and it may start off as a pilot project at an existing facility before moving on to a permanent place.
“Based on our Chief Minister’s suggestion to use existing facilities, we plan on bringing the deaf who are interested in broadcasting to iCATS (International College of Advanced Technology Sarawak). To see the available facilities and how they can apply to join broadcasting at iCATS.”