•A sign language teacher

By HARBGUY MWAMBAZI –

Despite visual impairment  being a common challenge for some people little consideration is given towards sign language and Braille in some academic institutions.
As society evolves to cater for people who are physically challenged, there is need for authorities to encompass everyone especially in institutions of learning.
Braille is a written language for the visually impaired citizens, where characters are represented by patterns of raised dots, which falls in line with sign language as a system of communication.
Unfortunately, the education system does not incorporate sign language and Braille in some schools to cater for the visually impaired and scholars with hearing problems.
Colleges and the  Zambia Research centre did the study which revealed that ZAMIS, Kitwe Teachers College  of  Education and Malcom   Moffat Teachers Colleges, have incorporated the use of sign language and Braille.
The research revealed that most  universities and colleges in Zambia preferred to use English over other mediums of communication and linguistic means, which does not cater for  students with disabilities.
A question left unanswered in the public’s mind is; what has been done by the Ministry of Education to ensure that sign language and Braille is incorporated in the education sector to cater for people with special needs?
It is against this background that the Government wants to change the status quo.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education had received financing to award the cost of the implementation of the new curriculum.
The funding would go towards the procurement of Sign Language Charts and Special Education Needs Textbooks.
Professional Teachers Union of Zambia (PTUZ) Director of public relations Chisanga Mumba said for an education body to provide quality education, they need to cover all areas of concern even for other students with physical challenges.
He said sign language and Braille is a medium of communication that should not be easily overlooked but should be perceived as a necessity.
“There is a misunderstanding between seeing sign language and Braille in schools as an option and on the other side as a necessity,” he said.
Mr Mumba, however, bemoaned the low number of teachers and lecturers who are equipped with sign language in schools and colleges, a situation he said would lead to visually impaired students dropping out of school.
“It is sad to discover the low numbers of lecturers and teachers in various schools who have not taken on board the mandate by the Ministry of Education to equip themselves with sign language and Braille.
Once teachers are not equipped with this skill, it becomes very hard for them to feel valued regarding academic development.
It is important that teachers are first trained with the skill for effective  teaching.
When lecturers and teachers are not committed to this new arrangement put forth, it leads to students dropping out of school,” he said.
Mr Mumba revealed that UNESCO and UNICEF had already embarked on projects specifically meant to meet the stipulated objectives in helping students with disabilities in schools and colleges.
He added that it is very important for education institutions to keep students with this limitation as they are also a major benefit to the future of the nation.
David Mwembe, a teacher in Kabwe, said that it was fair to ensure equal distribution in education by catering for students that need sign language and Braille programmes in their learning.
“The low levels in implementing sign language and Braille in schools are very shocking. It does not portray positive signs of professionalism by the ministry in offering quality education,” he said
Mike Daka, another teacher who is a secondary school teacher in Kabwe said that the level of inclusion education into the Zambian educational system has gone down with time.
He said that many schools in Zambia lacked the necessary teaching staff and material to have special education programmes that cater for students with disabilities.
“We definitely need to make sure that we also look to the needs of those children that cannot see and hear.
It is our duty to include these students who  at times might be excluded from educational opportunities due to their challenges,” he said.
He said inclusive education does not mean the integration of children and young people with physical, sensory or intellectual disability into regular schools, but the increasing of participation in learning and   removing barriers that inhibit their participation.
“It is good to note that an inclusive school is therefore, a place where every pupil belongs, is accepted and is supported by his or her peers and other members of the school community in the course of having his or her educational needs met.
It will not qualify to an inclusive school if no feeling of acceptance and needs are met for the student with the need. Schools in Zambia need to make sure that  they delegate the teachers to identify the main problems that block progress for students towards their education,” he said.
Sign Language and Educational Specialist Daniel Mudenda  said that there was need for development in the area of sign language which has led to his writing of three books that are in line with the new curriculum specialised to help students who cannot speak.
He said that the educational body entrusted to execute the new revised curriculum does not have the full capacity building of a disability student.
Mr Mudenda said that the signs of low intensity in the implementation process in sign language are noticed even in colleges and Universities in Zambia where teachers are not equipped without any training in this area whatsoever.
He said that it is a lot difficult when a teacher does not understand the alphabet and numeric order of the language criteria as well as the levels of deafness before teaching the particular student.
Mr Mudenda said that he had gone an extra mile to produce one of his three books in sign language and Braille that has been put at the disposal for teachers and lecturers for further enhancement in that area.
“I produced a book specifically for teachers in not only trying understanding the techniques involved in how to teach sign language and Braille, but also understanding the student with need on a more in depth level.
The first is entitled “Principles of sign Language and Dynamics”,“Deafness and Its Technical Challenge” and lastly “Deaf Culture”.
These books have not been set up in a way that makes learning hard for the teachers, but makes it easier for them to learn these different cultures and master for further teaching to students,” he said.
He said produced charts of sign language in number counting from one to ten and alphabetical charts were supplied to various schools that needed the materials not only in Zambia but in Botswana as well.
Mr Mudenda said that the only way for successful implementation of sign language and Braille in the different learning institutions in Zambia, was to step up to the challenge that came with the required objective view of fully helping students with special needs.
As education continues to  race along with society, it is in the government’s interest to continue working with the ministry of education and ECZ in providing the right  material, not forgetting to make certain that the increase in the number of learning institutions incorporating sign language and Braille develops respectively.