KUCHING: Dyslexic children should be given proper intervention programmes so that they would not drop out of school due to marginalisation, said Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said society should understand that dyslexia is not mental retardation but is just a learning disability marked by difficulty in reading, writing, spelling and counting.
“Dyslexic children face difficulty in learning and they are labelled as weak and lazy. This situation has a serious impact on the individuals concerned especially children in schools,” he said in his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Dyslexia Association of Sarawak’s proposed Resource and Learning Centre here today.
His speech was read out by state Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee.
Abang Johari said international studies showed that between five and 15 per cent of the world population suffered from dyslexia while studies by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak indicated a prevalence of six per cent among Year Three pupils in Kuching.
Dyslexia Association of Sarawak president Dr Ong Puay Hoon said this year 671 primary school students were suffering from dyslexia and this is not a small figure.
“Therefore, by providing training in evaluation, intervention and learning aid it can help those with dyslexia to read,” said Ong. – Bernama
