Deaf children get pre-school
Apr 21, 2011
DEAF children are to get pre-primary, kindergarten and day care education.
By Maria Wamala
DEAF children are to get pre-primary, kindergarten and day care education.
The former head teacher of the Uganda School for the Deaf in Ntinda, Dr. Joyce Nalugya, said unlike children with all their senses, deaf children have been missing out on the fun in kindergartens and day care schools.
“Children have been coming straight to Primary One. Thanks to the Uganda Sign Health and that of UK, our deaf and blind children will get pre-school education,†she said.
Nalugya was speaking at the launch of a pre-school programme for the deaf and blind children in Ntinda recently.
“The children will study, play and have fun in a well-equipped early learning facility like other children in kindergarten,†she said.
Nalugya added that since the deaf children’s mother tongue is sign language, which they do not learn at home, the programme will ensure that it is taught so that they can easily translate it into English at primary level.
She noted that deaf students were failing Primary Leaving Examinations because they could not translate the sign language into English.
Nalugya appealed to the Uganda National Examinations Board to set deaf-friendly questions.
“These people have a short memory yet long questions are set. By the time they finish reading them, they have forgotten the first part of the question,†she said.
She urged for shorter questions, use of interpreters and a longer examination period.
The programme manager, Paul Ssenteza, said parents would also have free sign language lessons with their children to eliminate the existing communication gap.
He said the programme also includes a health assessment exercise for each student, aimed at finding out the magnitude of the impairment for proper support.
Ssenteza said the programme would also provide refresher courses for the teachers so that they are able to deliver quality services to the children.
The UK Sign Health representative, Matthew Gilbert, said deaf children deserve to be helped to grow into responsible adults who, with their impairments, can contribute positively to the country’s political, social and economic development.
DEAF children are to get pre-primary, kindergarten and day care education.
The former head teacher of the Uganda School for the Deaf in Ntinda, Dr. Joyce Nalugya, said unlike children with all their senses, deaf children have been missing out on the fun in kindergartens and day care schools.
“Children have been coming straight to Primary One. Thanks to the Uganda Sign Health and that of UK, our deaf and blind children will get pre-school education,†she said.
Nalugya was speaking at the launch of a pre-school programme for the deaf and blind children in Ntinda recently.
“The children will study, play and have fun in a well-equipped early learning facility like other children in kindergarten,†she said.
Nalugya added that since the deaf children’s mother tongue is sign language, which they do not learn at home, the programme will ensure that it is taught so that they can easily translate it into English at primary level.
She noted that deaf students were failing Primary Leaving Examinations because they could not translate the sign language into English.
Nalugya appealed to the Uganda National Examinations Board to set deaf-friendly questions.
“These people have a short memory yet long questions are set. By the time they finish reading them, they have forgotten the first part of the question,†she said.
She urged for shorter questions, use of interpreters and a longer examination period.
The programme manager, Paul Ssenteza, said parents would also have free sign language lessons with their children to eliminate the existing communication gap.
He said the programme also includes a health assessment exercise for each student, aimed at finding out the magnitude of the impairment for proper support.
Ssenteza said the programme would also provide refresher courses for the teachers so that they are able to deliver quality services to the children.
The UK Sign Health representative, Matthew Gilbert, said deaf children deserve to be helped to grow into responsible adults who, with their impairments, can contribute positively to the country’s political, social and economic development.