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DEAF CHILDREN NOT GETTING THE SUPPORT THEY NEED

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Sir,

Imagine a world where nearly two thirds of children left school without getting good results like what happened in the JC exams. Parents would rightly be furious that their child didn’t get the right support in schools; they would be outraged while calling for urgent action.


But when it comes to deaf children, this is the reality we are faced with. In most areas deaf children are not getting the support that they need. I regularly hear of families who are concerned and anxious for their child’s future and deaf pupils who are also concerned about their future.
That so many deaf children are being set up to fail is a tragedy. The recently announced government initiative to support children with special education needs will come to nothing if we do not recognise the realities on the ground.
I believe that for quality deaf education to be realised, emphasis must be placed on teaching parents, teachers and deaf children to be able to communicate through Sign Language.

Ensuring that deaf children learn sign language and are taught it in schools will help us achieve quality education for all. It is heartbreaking to see deaf children being failed because they have not received the right support. The article on page 11 in the Times of Swaziland dated February 7, 2017 was very painful because deaf pupils were not given an opportunity to speak for themselves like what happened with Ngcoseni pupils and government took action. While at deaf schools only teachers are given the opportunity to speak and they always defend themselves and shift the blame to the pupils.


I also beg parents of deaf children to stand up and fight for the future of their children like what other parents do. Unless we see urgent action from government in addressing these issues, there will be more sad stories from heartbroken parents of deaf children. This is not the future that any parent wants for their child.

Concerned deaf

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