From next year, pupils at a mainstream primary school will have deaf classmates learning alongside them in sign language as a further step is taken towards greater inclusiveness.
Currently, children with hearing loss who need more support go to Lighthouse School or Canossian School, which are special education schools.
Mayflower Primary in Ang Mo Kio will be the first to take in up to seven pupils with hearing loss in its Primary 1 cohort. Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary said at the launch of the International Week of the Deaf yesterday that Mayflower Primary was chosen for its central location, and proximity to Beatty Secondary in Toa Payoh, which also caters to deaf students who use sign language.
Pupils with hearing loss build confidence and social skills as they integrate into the school community and interact with hearing peers, while hearing pupils build empathy, acceptance and respect for differences and diversity, he said.
At Mayflower Primary, sign language will be used to support instruction for pupils with hearing loss. This will come via two specialised teachers from The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), who will co-teach the core subjects of English, mathematics and science.
An educational sign interpreter will support non-core subjects such as physical education, art and music.
The school will also offer an after-school elective programme next year on Singapore Sign Language for teachers and Primary 1 and 2 pupils.
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Source: The Straits Times, 17 September 2017