Special needs pupils need more options
Ms Mahtani highlights the dire situation for expat and local families who cannot obtain suitable school places for their special needs children. She asks that international schools admit children with mild to moderate special needs.
I would go a step further – the government should compel international schools to be more inclusive by making their operating licence and renewals contingent upon the number of places (on a percentage of student population basis), they offer to students with special needs.
Yes, it goes against free market mechanics to legislate that social services be provided by businesses. However most international schools are run as non-profit entities and so they operate outside this model already.
Furthermore their non-profit status allows them to benefit from a public good – government land sites they are granted at negligible or below market costs. Another benefit is the lost tax revenue – non-profit schools can legally transfer their sizeable tax-free profits to their management companies in the form of large management fees and salaries.