FACILITIES FOR HANDICAPPED STUDENTS

Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung asked the Minister for Education (a) what facilities are provided in schools (primary, secondary and junior colleges) for handicapped students; (b) how many schools are equipped with such facilities; and (c) whether all new schools are equipped to cater for such students.

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: The basic disabled-friendly facilities provided in schools are: a car parking lot for the disabled, a ramp at the main entrance, ramps to all facilities located on the ground floor of every block, a toilet for the wheel-chair bound on the ground floor and at least one ambulant disabled toilet cubicle at each of the upper levels. MOE's plan is to provide all existing and new schools with such basic facilities by the year 2003. In addition, 10% of the schools will have additional facilities such as ramps or lifts to all levels and ramps for corridors to each room at every level. These schools with additional facilities are to be spread out over the island to facilitate easy access for the disabled who live in different parts of Singapore.

Currently, 33 primary schools and 51 secondary schools have the basic facilities, while 8 primary schools, 6 secondary schools and 1 JC have both the basic and the additional facilities.

My Ministry is undertaking a review of the current norms for the provision of disabled-friendly facilities in schools, with a view to ensuring adequate provision and greater accessibility of such facilities for the disabled students.