From Yap's observation, though the Malaysian government recognises that Inclusive Education is an effective means of building an inclusive society and overcoming discriminatory attitudes, enrolment in this programme is still low. Enrolment of students with special education needs (SEN) in the Inclusive Education Programme (IEP) as of April 30, 2014 is 58,253 .
The number of students with SEN in IEP registers only 7797 which is about 13.3%. The number of schools nationwide offering the Inclusive Education Programme is 1742.
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Touching on the challenges faced, the Deputy Education Minister said there are at least seven.
Shortage of qualified teachers
Shortage of professional support such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists
Training syllabus for special education needs to be reviewed
Lack of tailored curriculum for certain learning disabilities
Inadequate disabled-friendly facilities in mainstream schools
Lack of uniformity of access to education services, especially in Sabah and Sarawak or the interior of some West Malaysian states
Insufficient sensitive technological devices like hearing aids, Braille typing machines, etc.
"Going by the above challenges, implementing inclusive education in Malaysia is not an easy task as it challenges the current educational practices and administration," Yap noted.
However, despite the challenges, there are some success stories. These relate to successful graduates from universities; top scorers in public examinations; being successful in the world of entertainment and arts; and being employed in the private and public sectors.
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