The Ministry of Education is expected to draw up a road map on education for the hearing-impaired, very soon. A host of concerns are being raised as this is a relatively new area involving training in special needs as well as addressing resource gaps.
The findings from a six-week consultancy programme at the Deaf Education Unit (DEU) in Paro reveal that teachers lack training and that there has not been enough development of the Bhutanese Sign Language (BSL).
A Consultant carrying out the evaluation, supported by UNICEF, shares that deaf education lacks budget, technology and a modified curriculum in the country.
The Consultant, Sarah Houge, herself is a hearing impaired person. She told BBS (in sign language) that teachers in the Deaf Education Unit do not receive any training in deaf education prior to employment. “They have not been trained specifically in methods and strategies of teaching deaf students- that is one major concern.
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“The other concern is the development of the BSL. Right now, you only have 2,800 words and to develop the language, we need to have at least hundreds of thousands of words; so there is the need to increase the sign language vocabulary,” she added.
After the meeting of stakeholders that include non-governmental organisations, ministries and parents of deaf students, the DEU will submit the feedback to the education ministry and come up with a road map for the deaf education programme.
An education official said the road map ought to address problems that existed in the current deaf education system. “We want to see that our teachers get proper trainings, the schools get better resources, equipment, facilities and our children get good education from the improved system and we also have to think of the employment opportunities for these children in future,” said Kinley Gyeltshen, Chief Programme Officer of the Special Educational Needs.
The road map is being developed after 10 years since education for the hearing-impaired was started in the Country. It is expected to come out soon. Besides the road map, the National Education Policy, which has been submitted to the Gross National Happiness Commission, and if endorsed, will have not just a budget but also a series of strategies to address special education needs.
Over the last ten years, a little over 90 students were enrolled in deaf education.
