KOTA SAMARAHAN: Sarawak will develop the Special Needs Community Centre (SNCC), the first integrated community centre of its kind in the state, aimed at providing comprehensive support for persons with special needs through early intervention, skills training, vocational development and long-term care facilities.

Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the RM30 million project under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) will be built on the grounds of the Samarahan Rehabilitation Centre (PPS) to strengthen the support system and community development framework for persons with special needs in Sarawak.

“This complex is designed to meet the needs of persons with special needs throughout their lives. It begins with the One-Stop Early Intervention Centre (OSEIC), where children under the age of seven will undergo assessment, diagnosis and early intervention before entering the formal education system, followed by skills and vocational training, as well as care facilities for individuals without family support,” she explained.

She said this during a press conference following a project site meeting for the SNCC at the Samarahan Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Centre on Friday.

Fatimah added that formal education components will not be provided at the centre, as such services are already offered by the Ministry of Education.

Instead, the SNCC will focus on skills development, vocational training and improving the employability of persons with special needs.

Among the courses planned in the initial phase are information technology (IT), sewing, culinary and pastry arts, as well as arts and crafts.

These programmes will be conducted on a modular basis according to participants’ needs.

The centre will also provide hostel facilities for participants from outside Kuching and Samarahan, enabling more persons with special needs from across Sarawak to access the services offered.

In addition, the SNCC will be equipped with basic sports development facilities to help identify and nurture the potential of the state’s para-athletes, while also providing space for upskilling and reskilling programmes for individuals with special needs.

The project will comprise an administration block, the OSEIC equipped with therapy rooms, sensory integration rooms and a hydrotherapy pool, vocational training workshops, trainee hostels with a capacity of 64 residents, as well as a briefing hall and sheltered workshop.

The tender process for the project is scheduled to open in July this year, followed by evaluation and the issuance of the letter of acceptance in November.

Construction is expected to take approximately 20 months, with the centre targeted for completion by May 2028.

Also present were Senior Manager of Strategic Engagement and Consultancy John Rizal Biki, Sarawak Social Welfare Department Director Semawi Mohamad, Public Works Department Architect Vivian Wee, Ministry of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Policy and Projects Division Head Rohana, and RKD Architects Sdn Bhd Managing Director and Architect Kushahrin Kushairy. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Ezzah Syafiqah
Photos: Ezzah Syafiqah
Translator: Uilson Ng