Sign language to become matric subject by 2018

FOR the first time in South African history, sign language will, in 2018, form part of the matric exams.

South African sign language was introduced as a subject in 2015 and it would be tested in the 2018 matric exams, the department of Basic Education’s director of inclusive education, Dr Moses Simelane, said in Pretoria this week.

“We’ll have the first cohort that will be coming out that will be writing exams in South African sign language,” Simelane said.

He said the implementation of South African sign language as a subject was critical.

“It’s a groundbreaking development,” he said. “We’ve never had a South African sign language subject. Our South African Schools Act recognises sign language as a medium of instruction, but we’ve never had the curriculum.”

The South African sign language subject was approved in 2014. It was developed using the English home language framework and uses a team teaching model.

The education of deaf pupils had been “very poor” over the years, said Simelane. Deaf scholars were battling, and were not performing. They had a very low throughput rate and, Simelane said, it was because they did not have access to – and were not learning through – their home language.

“Sign language is their language,” he said.

The principal of Fulton School for the Deaf, Beryl Campbell, said up until now deaf pupils had had to apply for concessions when applying to university. Ordinarily one needed to have done two languages, but they had only done one – English first language. They had had to do an additional theory subject to make up for a second language and secure enough credits.

“Now they will have two languages,” Campbell said.

Fulton had always taught sign language, she said, and in the absence of an official curriculum, they had been using their own.

“But this is something we have been striving for for years and years,” she said.

“We value the importance of them having their own language.”