A SCHOOL for the deaf on the outskirts of KwaMashu township north of Durban is making its mark as a place of excellence.
VN Naik, where the medium of instruction is sign language, has achieved a matric pass rate of 100% for the past four years in a row.
School principal Thinacarunagran Govender hails his school’s accomplishments as ”nothing short of phenomenal”.
”We have adopted American Sign Language (ASL) at our school because at the inception of VN Naik 17 years ago, South African sign language wasn’t properly developed,” explains Govender.
Learners at the school study towards their matric examinations over a two-year period. Their first language is sign with the majority choosing English as their second language. Six other subjects need to be passed in order for candidates to obtain a senior certificate pass. All criteria that apply to mainstream candidates have to be satisfied.
Govender attributes his school’s impressive matric results largely to the fact that each member on his staff is qualified to teach the deaf. ”Members are also proficient in signing, with the majority being self-taught,” he adds.
Deputy principal Joseph Raman stresses that his school’s impeccable matric results are a clear indication that deafness is ”not a handicap”. ”Our results show that the perception of deafness being synonymous with dumbness needs to be changed,” remarks Raman.
But beyond matric, says Govender, ”There is a critical lack of infrastructure for tertiary education for the deaf within South Africa.” The school is determined to lead the way in filling this vacuum. Presently, the school has become a satellite to the South African College of Open Learning and the two institutions have launched a teacher training programme for the deaf. An information technology programme has also been instituted with the ML Sultan Technikon in Durban.
”We have succeeded in opening the doors at colleges and technikons for our learners. Our current focus is to knock on the doors of universities so that our ex-pupils are not excluded from degree courses any longer,” says Raman.
— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, April 10, 2000.