In eastern Singapore, a break in the fence offers an easy flow of teachers and students between two schools.
Thanks to access via the side gate, students with mild intellectual disabilities at ASPN Katong School (KS) can chat, laugh, and learn alongside their neurotypical peers from Bedok View Secondary School (BVSS).
Special Education (SPED) and General Education (Gen-Ed) schools that are close to each other, like KS and BVSS, get opportunities to work together regularly
At the beginning of each school year, teachers from both schools outline their plans for collaboration. Their proximity means students and teachers don’t have to go far to engage in joint activities such as art and sports, participate in festival celebrations and break time.
Because of this, students Mikayla Ng, who is in Secondary 4 at BVSS, and Shirin Binte Haroon, a Secondary 3 KS student, became friends.
“During our shared recesses, Shirin and I both learnt the value of being open,” says Mikayla. “I was really touched by how eager she was to get to know me better.”
One highlight of their conversation was discovering their shared love for cats and their fondness for Disney films. “It was fun getting to know Mikayla and finding out what we have in common,” adds Shirin.
Beyond sharing meals, students engage in activities such as learning new games.
Raphael Tan, a Sec 4 BVSS student, taught his peers a card game, and they showed him the value of perseverance in return: “One KS teammate encouraged us during a tough game by saying ‘anything is possible’. And guess what? We ended up winning.”
These memorable exchanges would not be possible if not for teachers like Ms Sharmala Risiya Sangar from KS and Ms Juliet Heng from BVSS. Both teachers-in-charge of partnerships exchange ideas via WhatsApp, which often become part of the meeting agenda.
“We kick off each year by mapping out plans, organising resources, and assigning groups to the different programmes we’re excited to roll out. We keep an eye on our progress and stay flexible to tackle any unexpected challenges that pop up,” shares Ms Heng, who teaches Mathematics at BVSS.
Ms Sangar, Head of Department for Aesthetics at KS, recalls, “I was touched that even though they were shy at first, students from BVSS showed patience by slowing down the pace of speaking or keeping the questions short when conversing with our students.”
She adds that if these young people can build a culture of diversity and inclusion, then educators must continue this important work as a responsibility shared among all stakeholders – schools and the wider community included.
As a result, their collaborative efforts extend to joint events outside of school.
They worked together with the National Museum of Singapore, for instance, for their art students to learn artmaking techniques from an artist who specialises in upcycling materials like foil wrappers and magazine pages.
KS and BVSS students work side-by-side as the art room hums with the sounds of laughter, problem-solving, and the ripping of tape. “Working with students with special needs has shown me their incredible creativity, often sparking ideas I wouldn’t have considered otherwise,” says Nur Qistina Binte Mohamed Nizam, a Sec 3 BVSS student.
“When using different types of materials, students saw the value in discarded items. They were also taught how to be adaptable when presented with unconventional art supplies,” says KS teacher Ms Nur ‘Aisyah. Seeing the students help each other, she feels heartened that genuine friendships are formed alongside learning opportunities.
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