Tuesday November 16, 2010

No progress in CBR programmes after three years

By IZATUN SHARI
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: There has been no improvement in community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programmes for disabled persons despite RM64mil being allocated three years ago, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

She lamented that until now there was no specialised work to upgrade facilities for disabled people like many other Asia-Pacific countries.

She added that she would personally monitor the programmes from now on through monthly meetings with disabled development department directors and social welfare officers.

She would also oversee the economic empowerment programmes to tap the potential of disabled persons and ensure that CBR centre staff be trained to use new technology for communication to help the disabled.

Special conference: Shahrizat (right) chatting with the participants during the convention Monday.

Shahrizat said the CBR centres should be easily accessible to disabled persons and alternative communication for the disabled should be looked into in view of the IT era.

“I’m not happy. The CBR has yet to improve the disabled facilities despite the CBR transformation plan, which kicked off three years ago,” she told newsmen after closing the Asia Pacific Convention on CBR here yesterday.

Shahrizat also expressed disappointment with employers for not recruiting disabled persons and not providing disabled-friendly facilities for them.

“It is regrettable since Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s administration emphasises inclusiveness, disabled persons are not given their proper place,” she said.

Currently, there are 428 CBR centres nationwide with 1,654 workers handling 18,943 disabled persons.

On the proposal to introduce sex education to kindergarten children next year, Shahrizat said her ministry would have another round of meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The teaching modules and syllabus were already in place, but had yet to be finalised.

“Tan Sri Muhyiddin will make the announcement on the matter,” she said