South African Sign Language (SASL) is poised to become the country’s 12th official language. Parliament recently approved a constitutional amendment aimed at promoting the rights of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. This decision is expected to have a significant impact on Deaf education in South Africa, providing an opportunity for proper education in a language that Deaf individuals understand.
Currently, South Africa has 43 schools catering to the needs of Deaf learners, with 38 of them utilizing SASL as the language of teaching and learning. Despite this effort, anecdotal feedback from Deaf teachers suggests that they are unable to effectively complete the curriculum each year, resulting in a growing educational gap. Furthermore, there is a lack of data on hearing versus Deaf education and the number of qualified teachers of the Deaf. The Wits Centre for Deaf Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand plans to address this data gap by initiating a comprehensive database.
The majority of teachers in schools for the Deaf are hearing individuals who do not possess specialized training or qualifications in Deaf education or SASL. Astonishingly, these teachers are not even formally required to undertake SASL courses; it is merely encouraged. As a result, teachers rely on learning SASL from their students, an unacceptable situation that impedes effective communication and hampers the educational process for Deaf learners. The lack of quality assurance mechanisms in Deaf education compounds these challenges, ultimately affecting the literacy levels and educational outcomes of Deaf learners.
The recognition of SASL as an official language is expected to address these longstanding issues. With the legal mandate to integrate SASL into the education and post-school system, the national department of basic education will be empowered to enforce specialist qualifications for teachers in schools catering to Deaf learners. Additionally, the department must enhance SASL curriculum training and support, collaborating with curriculum and subject specialists at universities. The availability of SASL resources and Deaf education materials should be expanded, and Deaf learners should have access to literature written specifically for them.
While there are academic specialists in Deaf education and SASL linguistics, there is a notable lack of Deaf academics. To ensure the best outcomes, leadership in Deaf education must be provided by Deaf individuals themselves. Hearing academics who wish to collaborate should possess fluency in SASL and expertise in Deaf education within the South African context.
To achieve these goals, universities and the department of basic education must prioritize the training of Deaf teachers. This is particularly important as Deaf children often emerge from an inadequate education system, leaving them without equitable qualifications for further education or the ability to qualify as teachers. By implementing the outlined proposals, this vicious cycle can be broken.
