South Africa’s first sign language teachers’ training program was launched on Monday, aimed at prospective sign language teachers and deaf teaching assistants.
The move could prove to be a boon for not only teachers, but also for South Africa’s more than four million people who are deaf or hard of hearing people, especially children.
“The course is aimed at deaf teaching assistants and prospective South African sign language (SASL) teachers,” said Embury Institute for Higher Education in a statement on Monday.
The program, in partnership with the Development Institute for the Deaf and Blind (DIDB), is aimed at equipping students with a Higher Certificate in pre-school education.
“Not everyone has my mom, and I think that this program is a giant step towards making formal teaching qualifications more accessible to hearing-impaired students, and in turn helping to improve the standards of teaching for deaf students throughout South Africa.
“It is also a wonderful opportunity for hearing students who want to learn how to teach using SASL,” she said.
The first batch of students are expected to begin their studies in July 2019 and complete their course in June 2021.
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