South African Sign Language (SASL) has been approved as the country’s 12th official language, marking a significant milestone in the quest to improve the education of Deaf individuals. The constitutional amendment, which was recently passed by Parliament, aims to promote the rights of persons who are Deaf or hard of hearing. This move has far-reaching implications for Deaf education in South Africa, as it will provide an opportunity for Deaf learners to receive education in a language they understand.
Currently, South Africa has 43 schools for the Deaf, with 38 of them utilizing SASL as the language of instruction. The objective is to ensure that the entire academic curriculum is taught. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that teachers of the Deaf struggle to cover the full curriculum each year, resulting in an expanding knowledge gap.
One of the major challenges lies in the shortage of qualified teachers of the Deaf. There is a lack of data regarding hearing versus Deaf education and the number of qualified teachers in this field. However, plans are underway at the Wits Centre for Deaf Studies to establish a database to address this information gap. Presently, the majority of teachers in schools for the Deaf are hearing individuals who are not required to have any specialized training or qualifications in Deaf education or SASL. Their signing skills are also not assessed prior to appointment.
Furthermore, these teachers are not formally obligated to undertake SASL courses, only encouraged to do so. Consequently, their knowledge of SASL is acquired on an ad-hoc basis from the students themselves. This situation is unacceptable as it places the burden on the students to act as facilitators of communication before they can focus on their own learning. The lack of quality assurance mechanisms in Deaf education exacerbates the problem, resulting in subpar education for Deaf learners, low literacy levels, and limited opportunities for post-school education and employment.
The recognition of SASL as an official language brings hope for positive change in Deaf education. The constitutional amendment empowers the national department of basic education to make specialist qualifications mandatory for teachers in schools for the Deaf. This requirement, coupled with the strengthening of SASL curriculum training and support, can be achieved through collaborations with curriculum and subject specialists at the department and universities. The availability of SASL resources and Deaf education materials must also be expanded, and Deaf learners should have access to literature that reflects their own experiences.
While there are experts in Deaf education and SASL linguistics, it is crucial to involve Deaf academics themselves in leading the charge. Hearing academics who wish to contribute to this journey must be proficient signers and possess expertise in SASL and Deaf education within the South African context.
Breaking the historical cycle of poor education for Deaf children is a key challenge. Many Deaf students do not graduate with an adequate school leaving qualification, which hampers their ability to pursue careers in teaching or access university training. The proposed measures, as outlined by Claudine Storbeck, founder and director of the Wits Centre for Deaf Studies, offer an opportunity to break this cycle and pave the way for improved Deaf education in South Africa.
