PART 1 THE COMMISSION’S REPORT ON THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES – FOCUSING ON PRIMARY EDUCATION 86. For example, one NGO learning centre adopted the curriculum of an education training programme for people with autism, including children, developed in Japan known as the KOLOLO methods. It is further noted that the learning and teaching processes in class would very much depend upon the skills and quality of the teachers, which will be further discussed at the later part of this Report. At this juncture, suffice to say that from our observations, in general there was a disparity in the level of knowledge, expertise and experience between teachers in SEIP classes and those in the NGO learning centres, with the latter having more enhanced knowledge and skills.36 (b) Individualised Education Plan 87. The Individualised Education Plan (IEP) is a written document to be regularly updated on the status, progress and achievement of, as well as gaps and challenges faced by, special needs students in schools. 88. In the United States of America, under their Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every school is required to create an IEP for every child in special education programme. The IEP will provide a focus for the student’s learning and specify a specific timeframe. It will also identify supports and services the student needs for success.37 89. An IEP will only be effective when there is active involvement of school administrative staff, teachers and parents. It is only then that education and social development of special needs children can be charted and efficaciously monitored. 90. In Malaysia, the Ministry of Education has introduced a policy that requires teachers to implement the IEP for all special need students.38 Although the policy is in place, its implementation has been slow. Studies have shown that factors such as teacher attitudes, lack of training and knowledge, lack of support by the parents and time constraint are impediments to the actual implementation of IEP in schools.39 91. During the Commission’s visits, the teachers indicated that while the IEP is important and useful, it is time consuming and involves a lot of paper work. Lack of support from school management and parents was also cited as NECIC pointed out that teachers in government schools are mainly trained and possessed appropriate academic qualifications in special education. On the other hand, many teachers in NGO learning centres do not have similar academic qualification. Some of them, with some degree of help from the centre, self-trained to learn and acquire the skills as special education teacher. 37 A Comprehensive Guide to your Rights and Responsibilities under IDEA 2004 by the National Centre for Learning Disabilities, 2006. Available online at http://www.ncld.org/images/stories/Publications/AdvocacyBriefs/IDEA2004ParentGuide/ idea2004parentguide.pdf 38 Surat Pekeliling Iktisas Bil/7/2004: Perlaksanaaan Kurikulum Pendidikan Khas Bermasalah Pembelajaran Sekolah Rendah dan Sekolah Menengah; Ministry of Education Malaysia. [Para 5-Bagi Memastikan Keberkesanan Kurikulum ini (Kurikulum Alternatif), Rancangan Pendidikan Individu (RPI) Setiap Murid Hendaklah Disediakan]. 39 Sitti Hasnah Bandu, Zalizan Mohd Jelas, The IEP: Are Malaysian Teachers Ready? 2012: Social and Behavioural Sciences Journal Vol 47: pp1341 – 1347. Available online at http://ac.els-cdn.com/ S1877042812025591/1-s2.0-S1877042812025591-main.pdf?_tid=c1283b58-73b5-11e4-b073-00000aacb36 2&acdnat=1416818699_2e8b0ea838c893869c89547017a524e8 36 29