Singaporean and Vietnamese representatives and training participants take a commemorative group shot at the Teaching and Learning for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder project’s launching ceremony in HCM City on November 26. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The Singapore International Foundation in partnership with the HCM City University of Education and Rainbow Centre Singapore has launched the Teaching and Learning for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) project in HCM City.

The capacity-building project aims to enhance the quality of special education for children with ASD in the city.

Over the next two-and-a-half years, a team of specialist from Singapore International Volunteers (SIV), comprising a multi-disciplinary group of special education professionals from the Rainbow Centre Singapore, will collaborate directly with 230 Vietnamese teachers through the sharing of knowledge, skills and best practices in ASD.

Trainees will attend a series of workshops and a symposium and undertake a study visit to Singapore for cross-cultural learning and knowledge exchange.

Parents and caregivers of children with ASD will also have the opportunity to join a public sharing session on supporting the developmental needs of their child.

Out of the pool of Vietnamese teachers, 30 will be identified as master trainers (MT) and equipped with the skills to train peers in their field.

Several MTs will subsequently be selected as advisors to oversee future implementation of special education training across schools and affiliated institutions in Việt Nam, ensuring the sustainability of the programme.

Lee Huay Leng, SIF governor, said: “It is our hope that by 2022 we will positively impact over 600 members of the special education community in HCM City. This includes teachers, children with ASD, parents and caregivers, and volunteers.”

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Assoc Prof Huỳnh Văn Sơn, HCMUE’ s vice rector, said: "The HCM City University of Education is delighted to partner the Singapore International Foundation and Rainbow Centre Singapore for this project. As ASEAN neighbours, we have come together to address a shared challenge - raising the quality of education for our children with special needs."

This project in HCM City marks the SIF's second special education initiative in Việt Nam. It follows the success of an earlier project in Hà Nội with Việt Nam's Ministry of Education and Training and National College of Education on Special Education that ran for six years (phase 1: 2010- 2012 and phase 2: 2015-2017). — VNS