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allAfrica.com: Uganda: School Brings Hope to Deaf Children (Page 1 of 1)
Sylvia Atuhurra, 21, is one of the five pioneers of Kinyinya unit of the deaf located in Kyegegwa Sub-county, Kyaka in Kyenjojo District.
The unit was started in 1998 under the initiation of Ms Florence Kabasomi, Atuhurra 's mother.
Ms Kabasomi says she started the unit so that her daughter and other children born deaf and dumb could learn how to read and write. It is located in Kinyinya Village, Kihamba Parish, Kyegegwa Sub-county, Kyaka in Kyenjojo District.
"I developed the idea to start Kinyinya Unit of the Deaf after realising that my beautiful daughter, Sylvia Atuhurra, who was 11 years old then, would never talk," Ms Kabasomi says.
She says Atuhurra sat for PLE last year, but failed.
Atuhurra and other pupils like her failed their exams because UNEB didn't send sign language teachers to help them in the examinations.
"We parents and teachers of deaf children are appealing to UNEB to always send sign language teachers to help our children during examinations," she says.
Ms Kabasomi says she was very happy that her daughter can now read and write and communicate with others using sign language.
The unit attached to Kinyinya Primary School serves western Uganda and part of the Buganda region and estimated to have more than 20,000 deaf children.
The children can now read, write and communicate with other people, a golden chance they would have missed if the unit was not started.
The programme officer of the Uganda National Association of the Deaf, (UNAD) development project for Kabarole and Mbarara, Mr Thomas Ajambo, says Action Aid Uganda in partnership with UNAD provided funds which were used to start the unit.
Mr Ojambo says the unit, which started with only four pupils and became fully operational in 2002, now has 120.
"Being able to write, communicate and read make deaf children at the unit much happier," he said.
Mr Ojambo says with support from central and local governments and development partners, the unit will one day meet its dream of teaching all deaf children in the region how to write, read and communicate.
The development partners, who have given support to the unit include; Action Aid, WFP, Save the Children , students from Netherlands and the Lions Club of Kyenjojo.
"Children with disabilities are missing out on many government programmes like education for all because of the disregard parents have for them," Mr Ojambo says.
He calls on government to consider starting a countrywide campaign to sensitise parents of deaf and dumb children that such children are equally important.
He asked government to give the unit funds for buying fire-fighting equipment, building a dining hall and more dormitories so that the girls are separated from the boys.
Other facilities needed urgently include well-motivated and qualified teachers in special needs education and training materials like books in sign language.
The unit currently has only three teachers and that staffing shortfall is responsible for the small number of pupils at the unit.
"The dropout rate is high at this unit because of few teachers.
We should have 150," Ms Kisembo the headteacher of the unit says.
She says the unit needs enough teachers because deaf children learn slowly unlike those who can hear.
As a measure to promote sign language learning, Mr Ojambo said the unit is planning to start a sign language club for Kinyinya Primary School to bridge the gap between the deaf children and the hearing.
The unit will train teachers in sign language, raise awareness on the education needs of the deaf children and educate the policy makers about the concerns of the deaf children.
He asked parents with deaf children to take them to the unit for training so that they can benefit from the government's programme of education for all.
"Our major aim at this unit is to teach deaf children how to write, read and communicate so that they can get employment and be self- reliant," he says.
Ms Grace Ampaire, the deputy headteacher of Kinyinya Primary School says some parents cannot afford to keep their children at the unit because of they are not able to pay the Shs4000 school fee.
She says some parents take their children to the unit and do not visit them for a whole year. "Dumping children at the unit is one of the serious problems the unit is facing," she adds.
The Kyenjojo District LC5 councillor for people with disabilities, Mr John Nyandera said there was need to carry out a census of all the deaf and blind children in the region for proper planning.
Sylvia Atuhurra, 21, is one of the five pioneers of Kinyinya unit of the deaf located in Kyegegwa Sub-county, Kyaka in Kyenjojo District.
The unit was started in 1998 under the initiation of Ms Florence Kabasomi, Atuhurra 's mother.
Ms Kabasomi says she started the unit so that her daughter and other children born deaf and dumb could learn how to read and write. It is located in Kinyinya Village, Kihamba Parish, Kyegegwa Sub-county, Kyaka in Kyenjojo District.
"I developed the idea to start Kinyinya Unit of the Deaf after realising that my beautiful daughter, Sylvia Atuhurra, who was 11 years old then, would never talk," Ms Kabasomi says.
She says Atuhurra sat for PLE last year, but failed.
Atuhurra and other pupils like her failed their exams because UNEB didn't send sign language teachers to help them in the examinations.
"We parents and teachers of deaf children are appealing to UNEB to always send sign language teachers to help our children during examinations," she says.
Ms Kabasomi says she was very happy that her daughter can now read and write and communicate with others using sign language.
The unit attached to Kinyinya Primary School serves western Uganda and part of the Buganda region and estimated to have more than 20,000 deaf children.
The children can now read, write and communicate with other people, a golden chance they would have missed if the unit was not started.
The programme officer of the Uganda National Association of the Deaf, (UNAD) development project for Kabarole and Mbarara, Mr Thomas Ajambo, says Action Aid Uganda in partnership with UNAD provided funds which were used to start the unit.
Mr Ojambo says the unit, which started with only four pupils and became fully operational in 2002, now has 120.
"Being able to write, communicate and read make deaf children at the unit much happier," he said.
Mr Ojambo says with support from central and local governments and development partners, the unit will one day meet its dream of teaching all deaf children in the region how to write, read and communicate.
The development partners, who have given support to the unit include; Action Aid, WFP, Save the Children , students from Netherlands and the Lions Club of Kyenjojo.
"Children with disabilities are missing out on many government programmes like education for all because of the disregard parents have for them," Mr Ojambo says.
He calls on government to consider starting a countrywide campaign to sensitise parents of deaf and dumb children that such children are equally important.
He asked government to give the unit funds for buying fire-fighting equipment, building a dining hall and more dormitories so that the girls are separated from the boys.
Other facilities needed urgently include well-motivated and qualified teachers in special needs education and training materials like books in sign language.
The unit currently has only three teachers and that staffing shortfall is responsible for the small number of pupils at the unit.
"The dropout rate is high at this unit because of few teachers.
We should have 150," Ms Kisembo the headteacher of the unit says.
She says the unit needs enough teachers because deaf children learn slowly unlike those who can hear.
As a measure to promote sign language learning, Mr Ojambo said the unit is planning to start a sign language club for Kinyinya Primary School to bridge the gap between the deaf children and the hearing.
The unit will train teachers in sign language, raise awareness on the education needs of the deaf children and educate the policy makers about the concerns of the deaf children.
He asked parents with deaf children to take them to the unit for training so that they can benefit from the government's programme of education for all.
"Our major aim at this unit is to teach deaf children how to write, read and communicate so that they can get employment and be self- reliant," he says.
Ms Grace Ampaire, the deputy headteacher of Kinyinya Primary School says some parents cannot afford to keep their children at the unit because of they are not able to pay the Shs4000 school fee.
She says some parents take their children to the unit and do not visit them for a whole year. "Dumping children at the unit is one of the serious problems the unit is facing," she adds.
The Kyenjojo District LC5 councillor for people with disabilities, Mr John Nyandera said there was need to carry out a census of all the deaf and blind children in the region for proper planning.