MELAKA: A greater focus on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in school inspections and additional powers is recommended for the local and state governments as well as social care ombudsman.

OKU Sentral president Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi said it is important to make sure that schools and local authorities have the resources they need to support children in needs properly.

"Since the pandemic began, learners with disabilities are the most affected group, experiencing greater challenges in receiving quality education due to limited access and support.

"Therefore, teachers, school administrators and relevant stakeholders need to collaborate in accelerating the learning recovery to mitigate the learning loss and special educational need reforms failing the generation of children," she said.

She said when opening the Country Report Forum in conjunction with Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation Regional Centre for Special Education (SEAMEO SEN) 10th Governing Board Meeting with the theme Building Back Better, here today.

Also present were SEAMEO Secretariat director Dr Erthel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela and SEAMEO SEN Governing Board chairperson Salmah Jopri.

Commenting further, Ras Adiba who is also the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chairman said, these children have been left without the additional support they merited, impacting not just on their education but in many cases, their mental health.

She said their beleaguered families, meanwhile, were caught up in a nightmare of "bureaucracy, buck-passing and confusion" in a system which "breeds conflict and despair".

"I would like to take this opportunity, to urge governments to present Green Paper on SEND Reform Agenda and Green paper to consult on a stronger national system for children with special educational needs and disabilities to boost the confidence of parents.

"Among the things that should be touched upon are simplified Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) through digitising plans to make them more flexible, reducing bureaucracy and supporting parents to make informed choices via a list of appropriate placements tailored to their child's needs, meaning less time spent researching the right school etc," she said.

Moreover, she also urged the government to build at least one Genius Kurnia Centres in each state.

"As for now we only have two Genius Kurnia Centres in Malaysia. Hopefully the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development together with Ministry of Education would make some aggressive efforts on SEND reform agenda," she said.

-- BERNAMA