The deaf minority is often not admitted to Higher Education due to the various institutions’ inability to provide lectures in sign languages. Dr Litsepiso Matlosa from the National University of Lesotho argued to the gathering at a Sign Languages seminar at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) that this inability by universities to cater for the deaf was a violation of a constitutional right.

The seminar was organised by the DUT Faculty of Arts and Design and was also attended by different organisations and schools for the deaf at City Campus last Friday.
Dr Matlosa has been involved in educational policy and its implication for the deaf in Lesotho since the late 90s and she said the two countries, Lesotho and South Africa have much to learn from each other as they both try to navigate this problem of education inaccessibility for the deaf.

“The fact that Lesotho deliberately left out the Lesotho sign language in the educational policy has denied us the opportunity to have teachers who can be equipped with the language and consequently the deaf are denied the right to be taught in their mother tongue,” said Dr Matlosa.

She added that this was also driven by a lack of awareness of the country’s most vulnerable citizens. She said to date there are only two functioning schools for the deaf in Lesotho but above the fact that the parents are not aware they exist, there was also the issue of affordability and inefficacy.

“Deaf schools are expensive so some parents who are aware of them cannot afford to send their children. Above that, some recruit teachers who are only qualified in teaching and not skilled in sign languages, so sign language is not even a requirement. You can’t even depend on interpretation because for that you get unemployed applicants who are not interested in what you’re doing but just want something to be busy on,” she said.

Dr Matlosa also said that although the challenges for sign languages in education appear difficult to transcend, all that is needed is the will from governments to be part of the solution and to recognise that it is a constitutional right even for the deaf to be taught in their mother tongue.

Pictured: Nqobile Sawula, Dr Maleshoane Rapean-Mathonsi, Odette Swift, Dr Rene Smith, Dr Listepiso Matlosa.

Bongani Gema