According to statistics, there are about 56,000 SEN students in Hong Kong, accounting for 8% of primary and secondary school students in Japanese schools. They have special learning needs, especially during the fifth wave of the epidemic, when physical classes are suspended.
A non-governmental organization published a survey report analyzing the effectiveness of the current SEN children’s learning support. The results found that more than 92% of the parents surveyed were worried that the number of school trainings would be reduced or even cancelled due to the epidemic, and the previous results would be scrapped, and more than 91% of the parents believed that the school training was effective. 70% of the parents surveyed said that the average monthly expenditure on off-campus training exceeded 3,000 yuan, and some parents even spent more than 20,000 yuan per month for their children’s training.
The group suggested that the government allocate additional resources to the Education Bureau to set up "training vouchers" to purchase related services for students who are unable to receive training or treatment due to the epidemic.
The community think tank platform "Minsheng Roundtable" distributed a survey report to understand the impact of the current epidemic on parents of SEN children and the effectiveness of the "school-based support" model.
(Picture provided by respondents)
Over 92% of the respondents were worried about the epidemic, and the effectiveness of online class training has become vain
The community think tank platform "Minsheng Roundtable" successfully distributed emails and electronic questionnaires to 437 primary schools and non-governmental student organizations concerned with special educational needs in Hong Kong from 17th to 21st this month, and received 327 valid responses to understand the impact of the current epidemic on parents of SEN children and The effectiveness of the school-based support model.
The survey results show that nearly 30% of SEN students have not received training in school or have been arranged for training by the school; even if they receive relevant training, more than 40% of SEN students have training less than once a month, and even they often take two months to complete the training. After getting one training session, it can be seen that the number of on-campus courses is not enough; more than 92% of the parents interviewed said that the number of on-campus training sessions has been reduced or even canceled due to the epidemic, worrying that the previous results will be wasted.
Some parents also said that under the epidemic, many on-campus trainings were changed to online classes through Zoom mode, students could not concentrate, resulting in insufficient training, and online classes could not meet social training, and the help was very limited.
The survey also found that 91% of the parents interviewed believed that on-campus training was less effective and needed more supplementary support, and 60% of parents would choose to enroll in off-campus courses to make up for the lack of on-campus training and low effectiveness.
Parents are forced to outsource services due to a small number of SEN therapy training places on campus
The results of the People's Livelihood Roundtable Analysis and Survey indicate that the content of off-campus courses will be more targeted, diversified and systematic to meet the needs of students, such as muscle sensory training, physical therapy, brain wave training, etc., which can only be found outside the school. get.
Although schools generally hold seminars for parents to support the special learning needs of students, most of these briefings are only two or three times a year, which lack specificity and continuity.
The tutors of the off-campus courses have a certain degree of communication with the parents, which can better understand the children's learning progress.
The most important thing is to allow parents to participate in the training to help improve their understanding of the training content, and to apply what they have learned to home training, which is exactly what parents think is lacking in current school training.
However, out-of-school training and treatment for SEN children is not affordable for ordinary families. 70% of the parents surveyed said that the average monthly expenditure for out-of-school training exceeds 3,000 yuan, and some parents even spend more than 20,000 yuan per month for their children's training. , while parents who did not choose off-campus training, 90% of them said they could not afford it because the price of off-campus training was too high.
More than 95% of the respondents asked the government to arrange the allocation of resources as soon as possible in the short term, and to provide a policy that allows schools to allocate some resources to add "training vouchers" for SEN students in primary schools and refer them to qualified training institutions outside the school. Enroll in off-campus courses as an aid.
Zhang Chin-peng, the founder of the People's Livelihood Roundtable and a member of the Saigon District, said that the current on-campus training is not enough, the effect is low, and the content cannot meet the needs of special groups. Parents who do not enroll in off-campus courses are due to the high price of off-campus training, so "training vouchers" are very useful for low-income students. The families of grass-roots SEN students are more important. Therefore, it is recommended that the government allocate additional resources to the Education Bureau to set up a "training voucher" system in the new financial year, so that students who are unable to receive training or treatment due to the epidemic can purchase related services as soon as possible; The government should establish a register of registered service units in the 18 districts of Hong Kong to facilitate the referral of SEN students in various districts by schools to receive training or treatment in the original districts and reduce travel time consumption.
He also suggested that the government set a price cap for training and treatment provided to registered service units to avoid overcharging of "training vouchers".
SEN children's condition worsened during the epidemic, 6-year-old girl said that she was "happy to jump off the building" and was rushed to the hospital. Social enterprise hired SEN youths to provide practical training for the elderly to make food packages. Exam director helps SEN students take the exam fairly
01 Community
