Early Childhood Education of Children with Special Needs in Malaysia: A Focus on Current Issues, Challenges, and Solutions

Abstract

This study aims to examine issues, challenges, and solutions concerning the current practices of teachers and operators of early childhood education teachers and operators of both public and private sectors in Malaysia. This research was based on a qualitative method involving a series of interviews, which were carried out at the Department of National Unity and Integration (Jabatan Perpaduan Negara dan Integrasi Nasional, JPNIN), the Department of Social Welfare (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, JKM), the Community Development Department (Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat, KEMAS), and several public and private preschools (for children aged 5-6 years) and childcare centers (for children aged 1 - 4 years). The sample of the study consisted of xxx practitioners, namely teachers, supervisors, operators, trainees, and officers, who were selected from several TASKA and TADIKA centers in Malaysia. In this study, Malaysia's provisional Early Childhood Career Educator (ECCE) National Quality Framework (NQF) was analyzed, which helped highlight four critical standards relating to leadership, organization and management, children's experiences, and learning opportunities, which have become a major concern among practitioners. Through the interviews, the researchers were able to record and interpret ECCE teachers' perceptions of the need for a policy that emphasizes their professional and career development. As revealed in this study, practitioners had to face a host of challenges and issues relating to leadership, organization and management, children's experiences, and learning opportunities, which could adversely affect their current practices. In tandem, several solutions were identified to help them overcome such problems. In summation, the findings suggest that teaching children with special learning needs can be extremely challenging that entails all concerned to take appropriate measures, with each party having to focus on its role to help provide equal access to education to all children. Surely, through concerted efforts, special needs education in Malaysia can be further improved to help children with learning disabilities to learn as efficacious as their mainstream counterparts.