By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, July 6: The coming establishment of the Special Needs Community Centre (SNCC) will guarantee that special needs children are able to get employment after their graduation, says Sarawak Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.
Following this, she advised all stakeholders and relevant parties to come up with a comprehensive and extensive blueprint on the functions and goals of the SNCC prior to drafting the physical building and its facilities.
“We at SNCC are also preparing our special needs children for a life after this SNCC – employment.
“I would like to remind everybody that they (special needs children) can get a job depending on their area of interest and how we develop their interest and their potential,” she said when officiating the Designing Special Needs Community Centre (SNCC) Workshop held at Grand Margherita Hotel today.
She also said there will be sheltered workshops which serve as a platform to provide the special needs community with the necessary skills to be employable in the job market.
The SNCC which is scheduled for completion in December 2025, has been approved with a ceiling value of RM5 million and a scheme value of RM55 million under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
The allocation of RM1 million has been released this year with RM2 million each to be released in 2023 and 2024.
Fatimah informed that the first online sitting application at Mile 4 ½ Matang Road was not approved due to budget constraints, but her Ministry has applied for a new site next to Wisma Wanita, Petra Jaya.
Also present were Deputy Minister for Women and Childhood Development Datuk Rosey Yunus, Sarawak Social Welfare Department director Noriah Ahmad, the Ministry’s permanent secretary Dr Rashidah Bolhassan and Wishesland Kuching president Chi Poh Yung. — DayakDaily
