Moalims

KARACHI:
For the millions of deaf worldwide, there is only one university located in the US to pursue higher education. A group of ambitious Pakistanis are now aiming to build the second one in Tando Allahyar, Sindh.

It might be several years from today when a signboard for a university is put up but the Deaf Reach programme believes the foundation has been laid in the form of their Rashidabad school. Inaugurated in December last year, the modern campus is the seventh branch of Family Educational Services Foundation’s (FESF) Deaf Reach programme having enrolled 125 deaf students and 38 faculty members in primary and secondary classes.

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“We want to open the sub-continent’s first university for the deaf right here in Rashidabad,” said FESF Donor Engagement director Sarah Shaikh as she addressed a group of journalists and bloggers from Karachi, Hyderabad and Tando Allahyar gathered for a tour of the facility.

With 20 classrooms and six vocational training centres, the campus has so far provided training to 50 teenagers and young adults in skills such as cooking and nutrition, arts, handicrafts, weaving, sewing, embroidery, screen printing, and tailoring. “The Deaf Reach programme provides a holistic learning environment where students receive both an academic education and marketable skills training, all of which ultimately prepares graduates to become part of the workforce and productive members of the society,” Richard Geary, founder of the programme, told The Express Tribune.

FESF not only trains students but teachers as well as parents. At Rashidabad campus alone, 18 teachers and 128 parents have been trained in Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) developed by the foundation. The school premises, which was set up and equipped with the help of a USAID grant, has 10 residential units for the staff members, a teachers resource area and playgrounds.

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The classrooms, built in a spacious hallway and divided only with a whiteboard, are brightly-lit and nicely ventilated. Brimming with energy, the space is filled with students in blue and white uniforms animatedly communicating with their teachers, solving mathematical problems and learning parts of the human body.

Rashidabad school principal Fehmida Mustafa said most students who come to her have never been to a school before and has no language to communicate with. “Imagine children between four and 16 years of age going to a school for the first time in their lives; some of them are aggressive and angry due to the lack of communication while others are shy and withdrawn and we work on building their communication skills which is the key to behaviour management,” Mustafa shared.

As the students begin to feel confident and happy in an environment where everyone speaks their language, the principal said a difference can be seen in the first few weeks. “One parent shared with us that going to the school ended her child’s loneliness as she finally found someone to ‘talk’ to and someone who understood her,” Mustafa said.

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Calling it a work of passion, Shaikh said that working with deaf students brings a unique comfort to the teachers. She pointed out, however, the gaps in teaching and training due to lack of awareness about the sign language. “Knowing the language is the first step in the teaching process and that is why we have designed a dictionary to increase awareness about sign language,” she said. “Opening a school is not a problem but we need teachers to run that school and that is why we focus on producing future teachers in our classrooms,” Shaikh said.

Despite numerous challenges, FESF developed the curriculum for all classes till Matriculation in sign language for their schools. “Preparing educational programmes in sign language is a difficult task but our focus is on imparting good quality education and we will continue to do so,” she asserted.

Having branches in Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Tando Allahyar and Lahore, FESF’s Geary said that Deaf Reach plans to continue providing educational services, expand the programme and enrol more students across all campuses.

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“We are also excited about developing more PSL learning resources, and continuing our advocacy and awareness campaigns to introduce deaf culture and create inclusive environments where deaf students can flourish,” he said, stating that with the support of their well-wishers, FESF hopes to make education a reality for all deaf children across Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2015.