Disabled Can Do More If We Help the Right Way

Monday October 18, 2010

THE Government has allocated RM6.4bil for the Education Ministry to build and upgrade schools, hostels, facilities and equipment.

The Ministry is to draw up an intensive and comprehensive plan to ensure the money allocated will be utilised in line with an “inclusive” education system.

The inclusive education system comprises accessible infrastructure and well-trained teachers to meet the needs of all students.

The system will thus enable disabled students to attend “normal” schools just like their peers without being segregated.

This problem has been long overlooked by the Government. The importance of education can be emulated by Edward Everett’s famous quote “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army”.

A whooping RM1.2bil has been allocated to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to carry out various welfare and community programmes, including RM280mil for training programmes to benefit the 80,000 registered disabled individuals in Malaysia.

I strongly recommend that the allocation be utilised more to provide comprehensive training programmes such as IT courses, automobile repairing, sales and marketing and others to enable the disabled to cope with the rapidly growing economic.

It will also help them contribute to the productivity of the country.

Mr. V.MURUGESWARAN,
President, Damai Disabled Persons Association,
Selangor and Wilayah Perseketuan.