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SNS Network Technology Rolls Out Affordable Device Deals for Students as Schools Adopt Hybrid Learning

IPOH, Malaysia, Nov 1, 2022 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - SNS Network Technology Berhad (Bursa: SNS, 0259), an ICT system and solutions provider, is pleased to announce the launch of a special device deal for students who are increasingly learning in online classrooms and need the tools to facilitate access for online learning.iTworldManaging Director of SNS, Ko Yun HungKo Yun Hung, Managing Director of SNS (Link) Managing Director of SNS, Ko Yun Hung, said, "This special deal is timely as the perfect tool for online classroom learning or hybrid learning given that the government launched the Hybrid Classrooms Pioneer Project. We believe that this special deal makes the devices very accessible to students and levels the playing field for virtual learning situations.""These devices are highly adaptable for students to browse through their coursework, take their tests onscreen or maintain a schedule; all while ensuring a smooth experience for classroom interactions. Students will not have to feel that non-physical interactions will make their experiences with teachers and fellow students any less.""We are also offering JOI, our smart classroom solution providing a flexible learning approach ideal for hybrid learning and emphasising critical skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. JOI devices are also compatible with the suite of Microsoft Office tools that unlocks the power of creativity and collaboration vital for online learning," Ko added.Starting from September 2022, 550 classrooms in 110 schools across the country will adopt the Hybrid Classrooms Pioneer Project as part of initiatives by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to accelerate digitalisation and adopt information and communication technology (ICT) in the public education system.MOE has also embarked on a three-phase RM1.3 billion programme to improve and replace ICT equipment and infrastructure including desktops and laptops, printers, projectors and charging ports, using the lease-to-use approach, in schools nationwide. The first phase involving RM411.8 million for 3,900 schools is almost complete, with the second phase to replace devices at 3,455 schools with an allocation of RM460.0 million will be completed by early 2023 while the third phase for 3,400 schools with an allocation of RM430.0 million is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.The special deals cover HP devices from as low as RM599, with savings of RM400 and Lenovo devices from as low as RM1,249 with savings of RM200. These modern devices fit for school-going kids comes in various form factor such as thin and light, rugged & 360 degrees flexible rotating device powered by Intel(R) Core(TM) processors & running latest Windows operating system. Devices equipped with JOI are also going for as low as RM599 with savings of RM600.Besides the special deals, premium devices are also available with options of iPad, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Microsoft Surface. Other models available include AVITA and Huawei MatePad.For more information on the product offerings, visit https://www.gloo.com.my/education-store for online purchases or locate their retail stores for in-store purchases - https://www.itworld.com.my/about-us and www.gloo.com.my/about-us.SNS Network Technology: 0259 [BURSA: SNS], https://www.sns.com.my/ Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Edvantage Group (0382.HK) Announced FY2021 Annual Results

HONG KONG, Nov 16, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Edvantage Group Holdings Limited ("Edvantage Group" or the "Group", stock code: 0382.HK), the largest private vocational education group in the Greater Bay Area ("GBA"), announced its annual results for the year ended 31 August 2021 (the "Period under Review"). During the Period under Review, the Group operated eight education institutions, namely Guangzhou Huashang College ("Huashang College") and Guangzhou Huashang Vocational College ("Huashang Vocational College") in Guangdong province, China; Urban Vocational College of Sichuan ("Urban Vocational College") and Urban Technician College of Sichuan ("Urban Technician College") in Sichuan province, China; GBA Business School ("GBABS") in Hong Kong, China; Global Business College of Australia ("GBCA") and Edvantage Institute Australia ("EIA") in Melbourne, Australia; and Edvantage Institute (Singapore) ("EIS") in the downtown of Singapore.Results Highlights (For the year ended 31 August 2021)-- Revenue increased by 56.4% YoY to approx. 1,251.6 million(RMB, the same below);-- Gross profit rose by 59.2% YoY to approx. 630.9 million;-- Adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company1 increased by 48.7% YoY to approx. 459.7 million;-- Basic earnings per share increased by 37.5% YoY to 39.42 cents;-- Proposed final dividend per share is HK8.4 cents; Annual dividend payout ratio is 30%;-- Number of student enrolments increased by 74.4% YoY to approx. 61,829.Note: (1) For the year ended 31 August 2021, adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company is determined by adjusting profit for the year of approx. RMB469.7 million for the effect of net foreign exchange loss of approx. RMB25.8 million, share-based payments of approx. RMB20.2 million and profit for the year attributable to non-controlling interests of approx. RMB56.0 million.During the Period under Review, the Group's revenue grew by 56.4% year-on-year ("YoY") to approx. 1,251.6 million; Gross profit increased by 59.2% YoY to approx. 630.9 million; and adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company rosed by 48.7% YoY to approx. 459.7 million; Basic earnings per share increased by 37.5% YoY to 39.42 cents; The number of student enrolments increased by 74.4% to approx. 61,829. A final dividend in respect of the year ended 31 August 2021 of HK8.4 cents per share was proposed by the Board of the Group, together with the recognised interim dividend of HK5.5 cents per share, the annual dividend payout ratio is 30%. The Group recorded the best performance since listing, which was mainly attributable to the steady increases in number of students and tuition fees standard derived from original businesses (i.e. Huashang College, Huashang Vocational College, GBCA, EIA and EIS), as well as earnings generated by the newly acquired schools (i.e. Urban Vocational College and Urban Technician College).Business UpdateClosely Following National Policies to Run SchoolsThe Group's Businesses are Strongly encouraged by the New Vocational Education Policy During the Period under Review, the State introduced a number of policies to support and encourage the development of vocational education. In October 2021, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council released the Guidelines on Promoting the High-quality Development of Modern Vocational Education, clearly supporting and encouraging listed companies and industry leaders to develop vocational education, incentivising application-oriented colleges and universities to develop vocational education at the undergraduate level, quantifying the admission scale of vocational education at the undergraduate level and the vision of basically building a skilled society by 2035. National policies delivered a positive signal to vocational education. The Group's businesses all fall within the scope of vocational education encouraged by the State. Moreover, the Group's schools in China are located in the Greater Bay Area and the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, which are key economic development regions and have the advantages that are conducive to the development of vocational education, including strong economic development momentum, continuous release of dividend from school-age population, low gross enrolment rate of higher education sector and enough room for bargaining power. In conclusion, industrial and regional policies are utterly conducive to the long-term sustainable development of the Group's businesses.Adhering to High Quality and High Compliance Distinctive School-runningIn terms of teaching faculty, the Group adopted the strategy of "strengthening schools with talents". It has a leadership team and a team of high-calibre teachers comprising of well-known authoritative experts, including Albert SUN-CHI CHAN, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn, a laureate of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Among the teachers of the Group's schools in Guangdong province and Sichuan province, nearly 30% have an associate professor title; nearly 55% have a master's degree or above; and over 100 of them have a doctoral degree. Meanwhile, over 100 teachers and industry experts from well-known universities such as Sun Yat-sen University, Jinan University, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Big Four accounting firms and SenseTime have been introduced flexibly. Besides, in terms of teaching facilities, the Group insists on constructing and rebuilding laboratories year by year with high standards, high configuration and high level, and continues to create a high-standard application-oriented training mode to support practical teaching and cultivate application-oriented high-end talents. Catering to the Market NeedsSynergistic Development of Trans-discipline and Multi-disciplineThe Group enriched its disciplines based on the social and market needs and gradually formed a superior discipline cluster with synergistic development that centres on "new business" and covers "new engineering", "AI", "big data", "digital creativity", "big health", "education" and other disciplines. The vocational education business associated with "big health" in high demand for talents developed rapidly, which benefitted from the featured school-running model of "combination of medicine and business" and the complementation of advantages of schools and enterprises for industry-education integration. The scale of students majoring in big health developed rapidly. In terms of academic vocational education, the Group's schools in Guangdong province and Sichuan province have more than 4,400 students engaged in vocational education associated with "big health", of which the enrolments of colleges of health and medicine of schools in Guangdong province have seen rapid growth with the number of students increased to more than 1,000 from over 100 in September 2019. As for non-academic vocational education, schools in Guangdong province and Sichuan province set up vocational skill level certificate courses about big health and held various competitions to train and produce more high-level skilled talents in the field of big health.Giants Alliance In-depth Expansion of Industry-education IntegrationThe Group's schools have always led the implementation of the philosophy of "school-enterprise cooperation, coordinative education", having built long-term, stable partnerships with over 700 renowned leading companies successively, including Huawei, Baidu, Kingdee, Sensetime, JD.com and Chengdu Metro. It has developed a constant path of cultivating skilled talents based on ordered classes, industry college co-construction and other cooperations, to establish a comprehensive system containing talent cultivation, scientific research and innovation, experimental base, internship and employment, social services, market brand, etc., which creates win-win results for students, schools, enterprises and the market.Remarkable Breakthroughs of Domestic and Overseas Schools OperationDuring the Period under Review, the Group further expanded its teaching footprint in the Greater Bay Area. It officially inaugurated GBABS in Hong Kong in September 2021, on which it signed a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding with Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area Entrepreneurs Union and Cyberport. GBABS has held events like summits themed on Strategic New Thinking in the Greater Bay Area since its establishment. As a "super bridge" in the future, it will collaborate with more academic institutions and public and private organizations in the Greater Bay Area to gradually offer Executive Certificate/Diploma, Master of Business Administration, Executive MBA and Doctor of Business Administration programs to nurture outstanding leaders and talents for the Greater Bay Area.In addition, the Group's Sihui and Xinhui campuses in Guangdong province expanded smoothly. With the two campuses being put into use progressively, there will be considerable room for expansion of the Group's school-running capacity in the GBA in the future.International Education is not affected by the Covid-19High Synergism between Domestic and Overseas Schools The Group is China's first private vocational education group to self-establish schools overseas, where it uses asset-light operation model. The Group's overseas schools not only see steady local operations, the three schools, GBCA, EIA, and EIS, provide academic and non-academic vocational education and are all qualified to enroll local and overseas students. Among them, EIA offers undergraduate and master's degree courses and is qualified to grant corresponding degrees. Moreover, the Group's overseas schools have a high degree of integration with schools in China. The Group actively offered online international courses covering both formal and non-academic vocational education levels. It empowered domestic students in language competence, comprehensive abilities, employability and other aspects. The international education services have not been affected by the pandemic. The Group believes that high-quality international teaching services can continuously strengthen its education brands, and thus its bargaining power will be sustainably enhanced.Education Brand Effect of Edvantage Group is Increasingly Prominent In terms of further study, in the past two years, nearly 100 graduates of the Group have been enrolled at top 100 famous overseas schools listed on the QS World University Rankings for a master's or doctoral degree. In terms of employment and entrepreneurship, great achievements have also been obtained in the past five years as nearly 500 graduates of the Group have been employed by Big Four accounting firms, 3,000 by world's top 500 and China's top 100 enterprises, and nearly 2,500 by unicorn companies of new economy and various well-known financial institutions. In response to the requirements of higher education development, schools have deeply implemented the policy of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, established a secondary college of innovation and entrepreneurship and the Huashang mass entrepreneurship incubation base, held various innovation and entrepreneurship competitions and offered relevant training. Graduates of the past five years have initiated many quality companies, and won many awards in national and provincial innovation and entrepreneurship competitions.The Group's schools have repeatedly made breakthroughs in terms of school-running achievements. Among them, it is worth mentioning that in May 2021, Huashang College was approved as a master's degree conferring institution, becoming one of the first eight private colleges in Guangdong province to be such institution. In recent two years, Huashang Vocational College has made breakthroughs in both quality and scale, and its enrolment and further study rate are far ahead of private undergraduate colleges in Guangdong province. Urban Vocational College ranked No.1 in Sichuan province in the 2020 China Private Higher Vocational College Comprehensive Strength Ranking, and was one of the higher vocational colleges planned to be upgraded to an undergraduate university during the "13th Five-Year" Plan period, which shows superior school-running condition. Urban Technician College saw a significant growth in enrolment due to the smooth degree upgrading channel and broad employment prospects. It has been highly recognised by both parents and students.Development Strategy and TargetSince it ran schools, the Group has been closely following the national policies, catering to market needs, and adhering to the principle of school operations with high compliance and high quality. Brand strategy, talent strategy and M&A strategy are three top-priority strategies for development. The Group will constantly develop its academic vocational education and non-academic vocational education businesses through organic growth and external expansion, and asset-light and asset-heavy operations to achieve sustained, steady and high-quality development. In addition, the Group's schools will cooperate with leading enterprises in various industries to establish high-quality, market-demand-oriented industrial schools, a vocational education league or a vocational education group, thereby creating sustainable value for its shareholders.About Edvantage Group Holdings LimitedEdvantage Group Holdings Limited ("Edvantage Group" or the "Group", stock code: 0382.HK) is the largest private higher education group in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the "Greater Bay Area") and an early mover in education sector in pursuing international expansion, and it was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange on 16 July 2019. As of 31 August 2021, the Group had nearly 62,000 students in schools and owns a total of 8 private education institutions, namely Guangzhou Huashang College (application-oriented undergraduate education) and Guangzhou Huashang Vocational College (higher academic vocational education) in Guangdong province, China; Urban Vocational College of Sichuan (higher academic vocational education) and Urban Technician College of Sichuan (secondary academic vocational education) in Sichuan province, China; GBA Business School (GBABS) in Hong Kong, China; Global Business College of Australia (GBCA) and Edvantage Institute Australia (EIA) in Melbourne, Australia; and Edvantage Institute (Singapore) ("EIS") in the downtown of Singapore. Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Year-end exams cancelled for Pri 3 and 4 pupils; classes to resume progressively from Oct 11: MOE

SINGAPORE - Year-end examinations for Primary 3 and 4 pupils will be cancelled, in an unprecedented move by the Education Ministry amid rising Covid-19 infections in the community. But face-to-face classes for Primary 3 to 6 pupils will resume from next Monday (Oct 11), followed by Primary 1 and 2 pupils next Wednesday (Oct 13), said the Ministry of Education (MOE). In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said the decision to cancel exams will "allow more time for curriculum recovery due to disruptions brought about by Covid-19". This is the first time that exams have been cancelled since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year. The Straits Times understands that about 70,000 pupils will be affected. Primary 5 year-end examinations will continue under safe management measures, said MOE. This will allow both pupils and parents to get a better understanding of the pupil's learning progress in relation to the Achievement Level scoring system - first implemented this year - prior to taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Primary 1 and 2 pupils do not sit year-end examinations. Meanwhile, in-person lessons for primary schools will progressively start from next Monday. Those from special education schools will be provided with more details on the phased return of students, said MOE.     Since Sept 27, Primary 1 to 5 pupils, as well as those from special education schools, have been placed on home-based learning (HBL), to minimise the risk of school-based transmission and protect those under the age of 12, who are currently not eligible for vaccination. This is also to reduce any possible disruption to the cohort taking PSLE, said MOE. Other details provided by MOE include: - Oct 22, which is the day after the PSLE marking exercise, will be declared a school holiday. This means that pupils will not need to report to school from Oct 18 to Oct 22, and there will be no HBL. This will not apply to pupils from special education schools. - Parents of Primary 1 to 5 students will be required to do an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) on their children at home on Friday or Saturday (Oct 8 or 9) prior to returning to school. They will need to report these results via a link that will be sent to them. - Since exams for Primary 3 and 4 pupils are cancelled, schools will draw on information from a range of school-based assessments that were conducted throughout the year to report on the pupil's learning progress and provide feedback, as well as make recommendations on their subject combination. Schools, for instance, will help children decide whether to offer Standard or Foundation level for specific subjects from the start of Primary 5. - In tandem with the resumption of in-person classes in primary schools, face-to-face lessons for pupils aged 12 and below at tuition, enrichment centres and private education institutions may resume from next Monday. However, the ministry encouraged tuition and enrichment centres to continue conducting these classes online as much as possible. - Private education institutions with similar student profiles and that conduct similar activities to primary schools are strongly advised to take reference from measures for schools, and adopt them where possible. "This includes phasing the return of students, and self-testing of students prior to returning to school," said the ministry, adding that these institutions may also continue to implement HBL for their students where feasible. - Co-curricular activities and other after-school activities will continue to be suspended for all levels, including secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute. More on this topic   Related Story What parents need to know before in-person classes in primary school start from Oct 11   Related Story 99.5 per cent of Primary 6 pupils sat PSLE, including some on quarantine orders: Exam board

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Full HBL for primary, special education schools from Sept 27 to Oct 6

SINGAPORE - All primary schools will start full home-based learning from Sept 27 until the end of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) sitting on Oct 6 amid a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. In a statement on Saturday (Sept 18), the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the measures will also apply to Special Education (SPED) schools offering the national curriculum. "This will better protect our younger students who are not yet medically eligible for vaccination," said MOE. "This is to minimise the risk of school-based transmissions and reduce the number of students placed on Quarantine Order or Leave of Absence prior to the examination," said the ministry on Saturday (Sept 18). This year, PSLE sitting starts on Sept 30 and ends on Oct 6.  A similar arrangement was made last year in the lead up to the start of written papers for the PSLE. Education minister Chan Chun Sing said in a Facebook post on Saturday: “Our students are taking their national exams amidst challenging circumstances – let us all do our part to support them and protect our school community.” Schools will remain open for students who require additional support during the period of HBL. Parents who are unable to work from home or secure alternative care arrangements can approach their children's schools for assistance. MOE kindergartens, kindergartens care services and student care centres will operate normally. Students are encouraged to do an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) swab test at home on these dates to allow time to take a confirmatory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) swab test if necessary. More on this topic   Related Story More data needed before kids in S'pore get Covid-19 vaccine   Related Story Pace of reopening amid Covid-19 depends on price S'pore is willing to pay, say experts PCR is necessary if pupils test positive for ART swab or when they get two consecutive invalid ART results. • Primary 6: Either on Sept 27 or 28  • Primary 1 - 5: Either on Oct 4 or 5 MOE urged all students and staff to continue practising good personal hygiene, adhere to safe management measures and exercise social responsibility. The ministry said it will implement additional measures to keep schools safe, where necessary. The move to HBL comes amid another wave of Covid-19 infections in Singapore, which is expecting to see 1,000 new cases a day soon. Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary had said in Parliament on Tuesday (Sept 14) that the 367 Covid-19 cases among children below the age of 12 account for 0.6 per cent of all local infections. More on this topic   Related Story How to get the most out of home-based learning   Related Story Lessons from home-based learning during circuit breaker period

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Students’ artwork on display at exhibition to mark National Day

SINGAPORE - The creative works of more than 400 schoolchildren have been put up at the National Museum of Singapore to commemorate National Day through stories of the Covid-19 pandemic and the country's history. This is a selection from some 120,000 entries submitted by the public and 170 schools, with pledges and wishes for the nation, to go into a digital time capsule that is on display. Gallery organiser Our Heart For Singapore (OHFSG) had asked contributors to write and draw about their experiences during the pandemic, or after speaking to seniors in the community about the challenges they have faced over the years. Members of the public can visit the exhibition - which comprises a photo wall and a display of selected entries - for free. Using their mobile devices, visitors can register to take part in a roughly 45-minute challenge that encourages them to browse through the exhibition to finish tasks. Many students submitted drawings of their favourite local delicacies, locations, or their impressions of Singapore in the past based on the experiences of seniors they spoke to. Inez Chai, a Secondary 2 student from CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School, said her grandmother told her about children's games of the past and even taught her how to play a few. "I could feel (her) excitement when she shared with me the games she played with her friends," said Inez, 14. "This activity has helped my relationship with my grandmother to become closer, and most importantly, I learnt that my grandmother was right. Phones are not everything." Primary 6 pupil Dylan Lee from St Stephen's School was inspired by seniors he interviewed who settled in Singapore in the 1930s as Samsui women, a broad term for immigrants from southern China who commonly worked in the construction industry. His art piece, a colourful butterfly whose wings frame sketches of Samsui women with their iconic red headdresses, is a tribute to "past heroes" who helped build the country, he wrote in his submission. Students, who made up two-thirds of the contributors, completed their entries as part of a home-based learning activity in collaboration with OHFSG when schools were closed in May amid a surge in local cases of coronavirus infections. The interactive exhibition, titled OHFSG Time Capsule and Learning Gallery, was opened on Friday (Aug 20) by Brigadier-General Tan Cheng Kwee, chairman of the National Day Parade 2021 executive committee, and Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling. Ms Low told The Straits Times that with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, she hopes to work with schools to take students to visit the showcase, beginning with the participating institutions. More on this topic   Related Story Spot landmarks, cartoon cat Pusheen and Kallang satay stall in National Day mural Ms Low said she was moved by several art pieces that depicted children of all races playing together. "It really represents our country. This exercise allows for an inter-generational bonding between seniors and the youth, who get to learn from seniors who share about the adversities during the past. Learning how older generations overcame past challenges offers our youth hope and inspiration during this tough period." More on this topic   Related Story Home-grown animators and artists get spotlight at National Day Parade this year

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Pri 1 registration: Phase for kids of alumni and school advisory board members to open on July 7

SINGAPORE - The next phase of Singapore's Primary 1 registration exercise will open at 9am and end at 4.30pm on Wednesday (July 7). Phase 2A(1) is reserved for children whose parents are alumni or members of the school's advisory board. There is likely to be some balloting at this stage - which happens when a school receives more applications than there are available places. Last year, four popular schools held ballots for this phase - CHIJ St Nicholas Girls', Nan Hua Primary, Rosyth and Pei Hwa Presbyterian. The Ministry of Education (MOE) will release the results by SMS on July 13. Like last year, the registration exercise this year is fully online due to the Covid-19 situation. For phase 2A(1), parents can find the registration form at the MOE website. This is the second phase of this year's exercise. Phase one - which is reserved for children who have older siblings already enrolled in the school - was held from June 30 to last Thursday. It saw seven primary schools fill more than half their available Primary 1 places. Of the 181 primary schools, 50 have filled at least 40 per cent of their vacancies. The primary school with the most applications in that phase was Horizon Primary in Punggol, with 138 of its 240 Primary 1 slots - 57.5 per cent - filled. However, vacancies have not filled up as quickly as last year - when 70 schools had at least 40 per cent of their slots filled after phase one. There are seven phases in total and the exercise will run until October. More on this topic   Related Story P1 registration: Are you likely to face balloting at the school of your choice?   Related Story Primary 1 registration guide: What parents need to know for online exercise

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Two special education schools to be redeveloped and located at new joint campus in 2025

SINGAPORE - Two special education schools serving students with mild intellectual disability will have a joint campus, and redeveloped to accommodate more students. Chaoyang School and Tanglin School, which are both run by the Association for Persons with Special Needs, will also have more facilities to cater to students across the autism spectrum. The special education (Sped) schools will be located at the former Da Qiao Primary School in Ang Mo Kio in 2025. Chaoyang School is currently also located in Ang Mo Kio and Tanglin School is in Bukit Merah. At the new site, Chaoyang School will provide 400 primary-level places and Tanglin School will have 350 secondary-level places. They currently have 320 and 260 students enrolled respectively. Minister of State for Education Sun Xueling, who spoke to reporters during a visit to Chaoyang School on Thursday (Nov 5), said the schools hope to provide more places for children with mild intellectual disability who live in the north-Eastern and central regions of Singapore. Ms Sun, who is also Minister of State for Social and Family Development, said it will be more convenient for families to have both schools located at the same site. It will also give the students a sense of familiarity. About 95 per cent of pupils from Chaoyang School typically move into Tanglin School. The new joint campus will be purpose-built, with larger classrooms and spaces to cater to students, including those who also have autism spectrum disorder. For instance, there will be more facilities for physical education, sports and games, as well as sheltered and outdoor play courts. The special education schools will be located at the former Da Qiao Primary School in Ang Mo Kio in 2025. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS Tanglin School will also have more space set aside for vocational training facilities. It currently has four tracks - food and beverage, retail operations, horticulture and hospitality services. Its principal Liza Ow said the new campus could in time house a supermarket or retail store for students to train in - an improvement over the mini-mart the school currently operates. More on this topic   Related Story MOE to set up 3 new autism-focused schools; more peer support initiatives for special needs students   Related Story More schools join hands for lessons on inclusivity "One of the challenges right now is about space. Our rooms are all over the school, whichever the space that is best able to accommodate that particular vocational education subject, we will use that space," she said. With the redevelopment, the school will have designated spaces for these vocational education subjects so that students' movement will be minimised and learning will be more conducive. Parents whose children are now in Chaoyang School said the new joint campus would help ease the children's transition into secondary school. Ms Chua Shan Shan, 38, whose Primary 5 son was diagnosed with autism, said: "For children with autism, a change in environment can cause a lot of anxiety. Both schools being side by side will help reduce that anxiety and I'm sure there will be a lot of opportunities for staff and students to have more interaction. More on this topic   Related Story More avenues for progression and training for teachers in special education schools   Related Story More help in school for students with special needs "Parents from both schools can also work together to organise learning journeys and activities." The private tutor, who lives in Hougang, said the campus' location is also a bonus. She was worried about her son needing a longer commute to Bukit Merah. Said Ms Sun: "We're constantly looking for more new ways to promote inclusive education, be it greater interaction between Sped schools and mainstream schools, or more opportunities between primary schools and secondary schools." There are currently 19 government-funded Sped schools which provide customised support for 6,600 students with moderate to severe special needs, such as autism and multiple disabilities.

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