Her job requires her to observe, collect data and write reports.

But she is neither a researcher nor a scientist.

Mrs Veena Jayanth, 49, is a shadow teacher.

She provides support to a student with special education needs (SEN) in a mainstream school setting – kindergartens and primary, secondary and international schools.

A shadow teacher can provide a wide range of support for the students, from helping them focus in class to coaching them on how to socialise with their peers. Some even help to toilet train younger children.

Mrs Jayanth has 19 years of experience teaching and working with children with SEN.

She joined Inclusion Therapy, a company offering help and shadow support for children with SEN, three years ago. She works with children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).

There is no time frame for how long shadow support lasts. Mrs Jayanth’s longest assignment lasted two years and three months.

She told The New Paper: “It depends on what the team working with the child feels. If it is thought a child has been functioning successfully in the classroom, shadows would gradually reduce and end their support.”

Mr Chandra Thanabalan, 36, director of Inclusion Therapy, said teamwork is needed to provide a child with the right support.

“In addition to parents, our shadow teachers and learning support consultants, we also work closely with teachers and therapists working with the student. We make the decision together on whether to continue the child’s support.”

SUPPORT

Mr Johnny Fok, local director of Intervention Services for Autism and Developmental Delay, said: “The aim of a shadow teacher should be to fade away the support.”

Children who need shadow support can be as young as three years old and as old as 16. Their disabilities also vary.

“We try to focus on the specific area of needs and strengths of the child, and keep our interventions in the classroom as smooth as possible,” said Mrs Jayanth.

Another Inclusion Therapy teacher William Chua, 29, tries to help the child get used to the classroom teacher’s routines and rules.

“We work based on what the classroom is like as our approach has to be discrete and non-disruptive to the classroom as a whole.”

The cost of hiring a shadow teacher depends on the level of support needed, from $400 a month for minimal support to a few thousand dollars for intensive support.

Mr Chandra said: “A child with severe learning or behaviour challenges could start off with intensive support and the support is eventually reduced to a few days a week.”

There are no records of the number of shadow teachers in mainstream schools.

Total Communication’s shadow support coordinator Brenda Low said: “Not all mainstream schools are okay with shadow teachers. “Some schools prefer to depend on their Allied Educators (AED) instead.”

All primary and secondary schools under the Ministry of Education have at least one AED to help students with mild SEN.

This article was first published on July 25, 2016.
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While Singapore fans of Pokemon Go cannot wait for the game to be launched here, the Government has said that it will monitor the game’s impact on society.

The game, which has taken the world by storm, uses augmented reality technology to allow players to “see” virtual Pokemon characters as they view their surroundings through their smartphone cameras.

Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim gave his comments in response to questions yesterday about whether the Government will introduce any guidelines for the game, given that it has caused problems in other countries ranging from criminal trespass to traffic accidents, as players hunt for the characters.

“We have to study very, very carefully whatever is brought into Singapore,” he said, stressing that it must not harm lifestyles or the way things have been done here.

Pokemon Go fever

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Reuters, AFP

Dr Yaacob was speaking to reporters at the National Deaf Games at the Singapore Badminton Hall.

“We will monitor the situation, how this particular game is being played and… its impact on society,” he added.

“And if it’s really something which we should be concerned about, I think MDA (the Media Development Authority) will definitely decide on what are the things we can do best, if the game is really needed here, how… we can do it in such a way that it becomes a win-win situation.”

Pokemon Go is available officially in more than 35 countries.

Japan, where it was launched last Friday, has already issued a safety guide warning of heat stroke, dubious strangers and other risks.

Indonesian officials have even called the game a security threat, while some in Egypt and Russia have claimed that the game is a plot by spy agencies.

linyc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on July 25, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A local advertising agency is reviving the idea of turning private cars into advertising billboards.

While the idea has failed in the past because few car owners were willing to use their cars to advertise products or services, local start-up Adogo claims it has no problems recruiting drivers and already has 1,000 signed up.

“Some of the drivers are Uber and GrabCar drivers,” said Adogo managing director Max Lin.

“We are now targeting advertisers more.”

The ad agency, which was formed last November, said that 150 cars are already plying the roads carrying advertisements.

“The service meets the demands of advertisers and helps drivers earn passive income,” said Mr Lin.

Advertisers pay Adogo $160 a month to advertise on the rear bumper and $280 to extend advertising to the doors.

Drivers get $50 a month for “renting out” the rear bumper space and $150 a month for the bumper and side doors.

Mr Lin said it is cheaper to advertise on cars than taxis, and that the agency’s drivers clock at least 1,500km a month.

He added that advertising on cars is also more eye-catching. “When you see a private car with stickers, it captures your attention more than stickers on taxis. What was the last ad you saw on a taxi?” he said.

It costs $500 per month to advertise on taxis, according to rates published by Moove Media, a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro.

Taxis are required by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to travel at least 250km a day, or 7,500km a month.

Mr Lin said the agency’s six clients – including a car workshop, a maid agency and a mall – bought between $15,000 and $120,000 worth of ads each.

Sales executive Calvin Wong, 34, who signed up with Adogo two months ago, receives $50 a month for carrying ads for car workshop ACMA Engineering Works and Trading on the rear bumper of his four-year-old Toyota Vitz hatchback.

“People come up to me and ask if I own the company,” he said.

Business owner Lionel Lee said he is not bothered by the image of his nine-year-old Honda Jazz being used as an advertising billboard.

“A car is just a tool to get from point A to point B,” said the 23-year-old.

“Besides, the ads pay for about three weeks of petrol.”

But not all drivers are open to the idea. When The Straits Times polled 10 private car owners, eight rejected the idea outright, one was neutral and only one was willing.

“You are not kidding me, right?” said a lawyer who drives a Porsche and declined to be named.

“I don’t want people, including my clients, to think that I am a cheapskate.”

Adogo said its services do not run foul of the law.

“Everything we are doing is legal and approved,” said Mr Lin.

LTA said it does not regulate the display of ads on private cars, but the driver has to ensure safety is not compromised by covering the headlights or signal lights, for instance. The stickers cannot be obscene or offend religious sensitivities, it added.

Police told The Straits Times that in 2011, they dropped a rule requiring vehicle owners to get approval before putting ads on their cars.

“The idea is good but private cars might not move around enough to give exposure and persuade potential advertisers to buy space,” said editor Julian Kho of online car trading and news site sgcarmart.com.

“Incentivising drivers is a must. Petrol rebates are attractive to drivers – no one wants to pay full price for petrol,” he added.

ADVERTISERS PAY

$160 a month to advertise on rear bumper

$280 a month for bumper and side doors

DRIVERS GET

$50 a month for bumper ad

$150 a month for bumper and side doors

tohyc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on July 25, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Sporting jet black hair, the retired cleaner, who usually wears bright pink sports shoes, seems much younger than her 80 years and is actively involved in community service.

Madam Hou Wah Cheng, a permanent resident, has been happy living in a one-room rental flat for most of her life.

But after her flatmate died more than a year ago, she has been concerned about her accommodation options.

Under HDB rules, she is not allowed to be the sole tenant of a rental flat.

Madam Hou, who has never married and who lost contact with her siblings, was initially worried about staying with a stranger.

To her relief, an acquaintance of the same age, Madam Lee Ah Sim, was also looking for a place to stay.

The two elderly women have been staying together under HDB’s Joint Singles Scheme (JSS) in a one-room flat in Pipit Road for the past year.

Madam Hou told The New Paper in Mandarin: “We were both born in the year of the ox and I joked with her it could be tough with the two of us in the same flat.

“But we have kept out of each other’s business and have not got into any quarrels so far.”

As Madam Lee is hard of hearing and has a failing memory, Madam Hou has been a helpful companion, especially when they watch TV programmes.

“Sometimes I have to repeat the jokes to her,” said Madam Hou.

Madam Lee agreed: “She is really much sharper than me.”

In a Parliamentary reply in February, Minister of State for National Development Koh Poh Koon said that most tenants under the JSS are able to live together amicably.

Over the past two years, there were 235 requests for a change in tenant.

MUTUAL RESPECT

Dr Koh said: “The key is mutual respect and tolerance. However, there are instances where tenants are unable to get along and request for a change of tenant.”

Members of Parliament Tin Pei Ling and Dr Lily Neo said they have had several residents approaching them for help to apply for a change in co-tenant.

But they also said that scheme has its merits – elderly tenants can look out for one another and share their utilities bill.

Most rental flat residents approached by TNP said they have heard of flatmates who have trouble getting along.

Madam Liew Kum Sim, 73, who has been living with the same flatmate in a rental flat in Bendemeer Road for the past 10 years, said she has been tolerating her flatmate’s behaviour over the years.

The retiree claims that her flatmate, also aged 73, has been throwing her medication away. They also have disagreements over splitting the utilities bill.

The flatmates had met through a mutual friend and applied for a rental flat together.

Madam Liew said in Mandarin: “When two people who don’t know each other live together, there are bound to be arguments. We never had a violent argument and she’s lucky I’ve mellowed over the years.”

Another resident, retiree Irene Lim, 67, whose flatmate is temporarily staying elsewhere, said she has had a bad experience with strangers in the past.

She said: “A few years ago, I had a flatmate who slept with a knife next to her. I moved away after two days. I’m so glad to be staying alone now.”

Madam Hou admitted that there were occasions when she felt frustrated with Madam Lee about the utilities bill. It is now higher compared to when she was staying with her previous flatmate.

“But I have a picture of Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) next to my bed. Every time I think of arguing, I will think twice,” she said. “We are the final stage of our lives. There is no point being unhappy with one another.”

Helpful to have someone to talk to: Tanjong Pagar MP

Tanjong Pagar Member of Parliament Lily Neo occasionally hears from rental flats tenants who claim they might get killed or might kill their flatmate.

Their conflicts usually arise over issues like cleanliness, noise or the sharing of bills.

Dr Neo would help them to appeal to HDB for a change in tenant.

But she concedes it is not easy as they would each have to find another tenant who qualifies for a rental flat.

MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling, who has had co-tenants who cannot get along, said appeals to HDB are not always successful as HDB has to assess the merits of each case.

She said grassroots leaders who are neighbours will help to mediate between the squabbling tenants.

She thinks tension between co-tenants are at times inevitable.

She said: “Many who live in rental flats are often in complex situations. Also, some seniors might be feeling low as they approach the end of their lives.

“Living with someone who has a different temperament or habit can be challenging.”

But both MPs, who have many elderly residents in their ward, said the scheme has its benefits, especially if the elderly tenants are able to look out for another.

Dr Neo said: “As a medical doctor, I can attest that loneliness (among the elderly) can be a problem, too. Having someone to talk to can help prevent depression.

“Tenants can also keep one another company, help each other when there are urgent problems and even share the cost of bills.”

In a Parliamentary reply in February, Dr Koh Poh Koon, Minister of State for National Development, said there were no plans to allow singles to rent a flat alone.

Dr Koh said: “The Joint Singles Scheme ensures prudent use of limited public rental flats to help those in need.”

An HDB spokesman said that single applicants who have not identified a flatmate on their own will be provided with a list of single persons who are similarly looking for flatmates.

The applicants can contact those on the list and assess if any of them are suitable to join in the application.

This article was first published on July 25, 2016.
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