SHAH ALAM, Jan 12 (Bernama) — Selangor, through Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas), today inaugurated the Preschool Centre for Special Needs Children (Anis) to provide children with special needs with educational opportunities and facilities that support their development.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the centre is open to all Selangor-born special needs children aged five to six years, who fall under the category of learning disabilities, including those with Global Developmental Delay (GDD), Down Syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) without any fee.
He said a total of RM1.9 million was allocated by the Shah Alam City Council as a partner to upgrade a public hall into a preschool centre while Yawas spent RM300,000 on learning aids and equipment.
Amirudin further explained that the centre which has been in operation since Nov 22, 2022, is seen as a benchmark for kindergarten operators in Selangor on how to provide educational facilities for children with special needs.
“Perhaps after this, we can see collaboration (with local authorities) in other places to create more (Anis Preschool Centres) so that parents can send their special needs children for affordable early education.
“So if parents enrol their children here, they will at least learn basic skills (like for normal children) at the preschool level,” he said after launching the Anis Preschool Centre in Section 7, here today.
Also present were Selangor Public Health, Unity, Women and Family Development Committee chairman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud and Shah Alam Mayor Dr Nor Fuad Abdul Hamid.
Amirudin said the state government has so far received almost 100 applications to establish Anis Preschool Centres and 35 of them will be implemented soon.
Meanwhile, Dr Siti Mariah said that at the centre parents will also be given exposure and useful knowledge on managing children with special needs.
“For example, toilet training (for children with special needs). We may consider all these basic things normal but these children need special training. Training is done here on a one-to-one basis by certified teachers, together with parents, once a week for two hours per session to overcome the challenge,” she said.
She also said that the establishment of more Anis Preschool Centres will be expanded to rural areas after this, including in Rawang, Kuala Selangor and Kuala Langat.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
