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| Mohamad Sazali Shaari |
“The primary obstacle is a lack of acceptable grades in languages, mostly English” says Mohamad Sazali Shaari, President of the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf (MFD), who is deaf himself.
Yet, there is government-sponsored affirmative action in place that gives the deaf preferential university entrances.
On top of that, some private institutions are offering fee reductions ranging from 50-70% to deaf students.
Yet most deaf students end their studies after going through polytechnics and vernacular programmes.
Most universities expect credits in English and Bahasa Malaysia, at least, before a student is considered eligible. Overcoming the language barrier is an uphill task, says Sazali.
“If we cannot hear, how can we speak? The sounds you make are also important in language.
“Poorly-qualified teachers are the main problem. Often, they get sent to special schools and are tasked with deaf education even though they are not proficient in sign language,” he said.
“So, how can they teach effectively?
“Teachers of the deaf must be specially-skilled in extending the meaning of language to students.
"Otherwise, pupils will not be able to understand subtle linguistic nuances. Sometimes, teachers are switched and assigned to areas out of their expertise."
According to Sazali, teachers without any special education background or those with qualifications to teach other disabilities end up with deaf students. In these cases, both teachers and students end up becoming victims, he said.
The recent Malaysian Education Blueprint also recognised the shortage of qualified Special Education teachers and the need for disabled-friendly facilities in schools.
To help fix the problem, all teachers will be provided basic special education training modules at IPGs (Institut Pendidikan Guru) and public universities.
Existing special education programmes will also be strengthened and additional initiatives will be undertaken such as forming partnerships with other organisations to help improve support for special needs students.
Sazali recommended that all teachers in deaf schools be made to have sign language certification before being posted.
“Having only Special Education credentials for teachers is not enough if we want deaf students to succeed in schools,” he said.
No reply to questions posed by The Star Online has been received from the Special Education Department of the Ministry of Education as to the predicament of teachers and deaf students in schools and universities.
