Deaf complain about quality of their education

The Deaf People's Association has written to Education Minister Louis Galea expressing its concern at the quality of education being offered to the hard of hearing.

The association's president, Dorianne Bezzina, said through interpreter Stephen Mulvaney that the association had informed the minister about the situation several times but things had got worse rather than better. A number of roaming teachers who gave a service to deaf students were promoted or were attending a course during school hours and they had not been substituted.

The association said it knew that the ministry had set up a working group led by Lino Spiteri to examine special and inclusive education including that of deaf children. The association had sent its comments to the group and meetings had also been held.

But the situation had now deteriorated so much that it felt corrective measures should be taken immediately.

In its last meeting, the association decided to write to the minister again requesting that teachers be employed to work with deaf students and that they be given professional training including in Maltese sign language.

The government should also employ, ideally through the association, a satisfactory number of interpreters of Maltese sign language to work with deaf students whose first language is Maltese sign language at all educational levels.

The ministry should see that every deaf student had an individual educational programme according to the students' particular needs and ensure this programme is followed.

When a deaf student required a facilitator, the facilitator should be given comprehensive training in the education of deaf students including Maltese sign language.

The association said it was prepared to meet the minister to discuss its proposals and others that could help in the education of deaf students. Although the association made similar requests in the past, they were either not taken up or did not have a positive effect. So the association has now decided to step up the pressure.

Secretary Karl Borg said that through the type of education being provided to deaf students, the government was breaching the Equal Opportunities Act and the association's next move would be to lodge a complaint with the National Commission for Persons with a Disability.

It was pointed out that while there were 80 to 90 deaf students, there were only four to six roaming teachers available at the different schools between once a week and once a month.

Five of the students attended a special school but the rest were in mainstream education. At the special school, sign language was not used and there was no awareness of the deaf culture. Moreover, academic subjects such as mathematics were not taught properly.

While many deaf people in foreign countries went on to university, the most that the Maltese deaf managed to achieve was post-secondary education and even this was rare.