Rise in jobs for people with special needs

MUSCAT:  The government seeks to raise employment rate for people with special needs from 1 per cent to 2 per cent in public and private sectors. This was revealed by Shaikh Ahmed al Nadabi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Service, on Monday during the Kaderon forum aimed at providing training, rehabilitation and employment to people with special needs. “It is a forum of great importance and is the first-of-its-kind in the Sultanate. It is a great support for people with disabilities as it provides employment, rehabilitation, training and educational opportunities in public and private sectors,” he said. Fahad al Jabri, Director-General of Human Resources Development in the ministry, said that the government has been making intensive efforts in employing people with disabilities in jobs that are commensurate with their abilities and qualifications. The total number of people in this category in the government sector, according to 2018 statistics stood at 6,768. These include holders of higher degrees, university diplomas, intermediate diploma, vocational qualification and other qualifications. With the efforts of the organisers of the forum, 70 job opportunities were obtained in private institutions and 4 scholarships within the Sultanate, in addition to 100 opportunities for training at the Gulf Institute of Technology. Maryam al Farsi, Head of Media of the organising committee, said, “We are working to provide more than 250 job opportunities by sponsoring and supporting projects that suit the passion and interests of our youth and to meet the diverse needs of the community. We wish that this project acts like a sustainable gift to individuals without any obstacles and material challenges, to make the most of their creativity and development.” According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information, the number of persons with disabilities in the private sector increased in 2017 to 1,268; an increase by 78 employees compared to that in 2016. Male employees represented 85.3 per cent, while females represented 14.7 per cent. The Down Syndrome disability ranks number one in 2017 within people with special needs in the private sector with about 41.6 per cent employees where male employees represented 88.8 per cent of the total. The disability of the upper limbs was prevalent with employees in the government sector in 2017. The number of students with disabilities enrolled in special education schools in the country and abroad increased during the academic year (2017/2018) to 17 compared to the academic year 2016/2017. The rate of male students is 59 per cent, while females represented 41 per cent. NSCI in its report pointed out that the number of people with special needs in the Sultanate decreased from 34,761 in 2016 to 34,365 in 2017, with males representing 65 per cent and females 35 per cent.