KUCHING: Sarawak’s primary school for special needs children to be set up soon will not follow the existing models implemented by the federal Ministry of Education.

Instead, it will be modelled along similar schools in other countries which have proven to be effective and successful, Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah has said.

“Sarawak’s own special needs primary schools will not duplicate what the ministry had done – in fact, we’re doing something different entirely.

According to Fatimah, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has instructed her ministry to conduct a three-month study to come up with a paperwork on the viability of such primary school.

“Given the approval from the state cabinet, we’ll conduct a site visit to observe some of the models that have been successfully implemented in Australia,” she added.

She said she would bring this proposal to the November session of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting.

In early March, Abang Johari announced that the Sarawak government was looking into setting up special schools in Sarawak to cater for special needs children.

Given that the project had been successful in Kuching, he also announced more of such schools would be established in other major areas across Sarawak, such as Sibu and Miri.