Deaf persons form part of the Invisible person around the world .Deaf Rights Network(DERINE) has identified a number of deaf children out of school without being served with the opportunity to go to school.
This has been identified in the number of contacts during the campaign on the Right to Education of the deaf child we have made with the communities around Kampala and Mukono district.During the media talk shows, a big number of parents for children with hearing impairments have expressed a concerned of non existence of special schools for the deaf persons in their own communities for easy taking of their children to attain education like other children without impairment.
Because of this situation, DERINE has come to justify the fact that, the right to education is still a right being denied from these children.
Deaf persons are examples of voiceless people in the world whose voices are unheard, leading to a situation where their needs are veiled all the time
Magnitude of the Problem
According to the 2002 Uganda Population and Housing Census, at least 4 out of every 25, or 16 per cent of the population, are disabled. Applying this estimate to today’s Ugandan population (approximately 30 million1) would indicate that they may be some 5 million disabled people in the country.
Deaf Rights Network estimates the deaf population to be the largest category, of all people with disability at 1.5 out of the 5 millions.And if over 1,500,000 population is estimated to be of the deaf, over 500,000 are estimated to be children under the age of 18 of the school going age within our communities with hearing impairment. Today, UNESCO says that, at present there are 75 million primary schoolchildren out-of-school and children with disabilities account for one third of that figure. It continues to urge on the Sub Saharan Africa that, on current trends there will still be 23 million African children out of school by 2015. Just over one adult in three cannot read or write. And Africa has some of the world’s deepest inequalities based on factors such as gender, language and location. EFA Global Monitoring Report.
deaf children of Mukono with their teachers pose for a photo after Human Rights education
Deaf Education and the Law
All humanity have the right to education .This is rooted from Uganda laws and International instruments of human rights. For example,
- The Constitution of Uganda, 1995. Article 21 prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Uganda is one of the few countries in the world to first recognize sign language in the national Constitution.
- People with Disabilities Act 2006 spells out clearly the protection of people with disabilities, and in section 5, urges the best practice in the advancement of special education for the deaf starting from the family up to the institutions of leaning.
- The Universal Primary Education Act, makes it financially possible for families to send
their disabled children to school by providing free primary education to four children in every
family, including disabled children.Today, all household childre are subject to free education
- The Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) Act, No. 12, 2008,
promotes equitable access to education and training for all disadvantaged groups, including
disabled people.
Internationally,the right to education is rooted from Universal declaration of human rights, 1948
Like other children, the Deaf also have an inherent right to education as children and are protected by a number of International instruments such as UNITED NATIONS Convention on the Rights of the Child NEW YORK 20 November 1989.The Articles from this Convention shall be put into consideration by all communities regardless of disabilities, and Disability is addressed as an important aspect needing a special address.
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Article 23
1. States Parties recognize that a mentally or physically disabled child should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self-reliance and facilitate the child's active participation in the community.
2. States Parties recognize the right of the disabled child to special care and shall encourage and ensure the extension, subject to available resources, to the eligible child and those responsible for his or her care, of assistance for which application is made and which is appropriate to the child's condition and to the circumstances of the parents or others caring for the child.
3. Recognizing the special needs of a disabled child, assistance extended in accordance with paragraph 2 of the present article shall be provided free of charge, whenever possible, taking into account the financial resources of the parents or others caring for the child, and shall be designed to ensure that the disabled child has effective access to and receives education, training, health care services, rehabilitation services, preparation for employment and recreation opportunities in a manner conducive to the child's achieving the fullest possible social integration and individual development, including his or her cultural and spiritual development
4. States Parties shall promote, in the spirit of international cooperation, the exchange of appropriate information in the field of preventive health care and of medical, psychological and functional treatment of disabled children, including dissemination of and access to information concerning methods of rehabilitation, education and vocational services, with the aim of enabling States Parties to improve their capabilities and skills and to widen their experience in these areas. In this regard, particular account shall be taken of the needs of developing countries."
Article 28 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, they shall, in particular:
(a) Make primary education compulsory and available free to all;
(b) Encourage the development of different forms of secondary education, including general and vocational education, make them available and accessible to every child, and take appropriate measures such as the introduction of free education and offering financial assistance in case of need;
(c) Make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity by every appropriate means;
(d) Make educational and vocational information and guidance available and accessible to all children;
(e) Take measures to encourage regular attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates.
2. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that school discipline is administered in a manner consistent with the child's human dignity and in conformity with the present Convention.
3. States Parties shall promote and encourage international cooperation in matters relating to education, in particular with a view to contributing to the elimination of ignorance and illiteracy throughout the world and facilitating access to scientific and technical knowledge and modern teaching methods. In this regard, particular account shall be taken of the needs of developing countries."
Deaf children too have the right to access education which is free and qualitative
Article 29
"1. States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to:
(a) The development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential;
(b) The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations;
(c) The development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own;
(d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin;
(e) The development of respect for the natural environment.
2. No part of the present article or article 28 shall be construed so as to interfere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions, subject always to the observance of the principle set forth in paragraph 1 of the present article and to the requirements that the education given in such institutions shall conform to such minimum standards as may be laid down by the State.
Although the Right to Education is always considered to be cultural right, it is however related to human rights. This means that, the enjoyment of many Civil and political; rights such as the freedom of Information, Expression, Assembly and association, the Right to vote and to be voted or the right of equal access to public life service depends on at least a minimum level of education, including literacy"
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Article 24 - Education
1. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education. With a view to realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and life long learning directed to:
a. The full development of human potential and sense of dignity and self-worth, and the strengthening of respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and human diversity;
b. The development by persons with disabilities of their personality, talents and creativity, as well as their mental and physical abilities, to their fullest potential;
c. Enabling persons with disabilities to participate effectively in a free society.
2. In realizing this right, States Parties shall ensure that:
a. Persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on the basis of disability, and that children with disabilities are not excluded from free and compulsory primary education, or from secondary education, on the basis of disability;
b. Persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live;
c. Reasonable accommodation of the individual’s requirements is provided;
d. Persons with disabilities receive the support required, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education;
e. Effective individualized support measures are provided in environments that maximize academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion.
3. States Parties shall enable persons with disabilities to learn life and social development skills to facilitate their full and equal participation in education and as members of the community. To this end, States Parties shall take appropriate measures, including:
a. Facilitating the learning of Braille, alternative script, augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication and orientation and mobility skills, and facilitating peer support and mentoring;
b. Facilitating the learning of sign language and the promotion of the linguistic identity of the deaf community;
c. Ensuring that the education of persons, and in particular children, who are blind, deaf or deaf-blind, is delivered in the most appropriate languages and modes and means of communication for the individual, and in environments which maximize academic and social development.
4. In order to help ensure the realization of this right, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to employ teachers, including teachers with disabilities, who are qualified in sign language and/or Braille, and to train professionals and staff who work at all levels of education. Such training shall incorporate disability awareness and the use of appropriate augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication, educational techniques and materials to support persons with disabilities.
5. States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others. To this end, States Parties shall ensure that reasonable accommodation is provided to persons with disabilities.
All national laws are urged to adopt this convention as Uganda has done it for the realization of the right to education of the deaf persons.
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml%20-%2024k%20-
Article 26.
- "(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
- (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
- (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children."
Also, the Deaf persons to enjoy the Economic, Cultural and Social rights such as the right to choose work, to receive equal pay for equal work, the right to form trade unions, to take part in cultural life, to enjoy benefits of scientific progress and to receive higher education on the basis of capacity, can only be exercised by a meaningful way after attaining a minimum level of education. This signifies that education is a precondition for the enjoyment of Human rights by the deaf persons and all humanity.Uganda's problem is not the lack of laws, but rather the non implementation of the existing laws which are already in place from within and outside and at the international level where it is a signatory. Today, the National Council for children in Uganda is vested with authority to stream line issues of the children including seeing the implementation of the UN convention of the rights of children and the local laws. This body is in line with the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development as the over all with a cabinet minister and the state minister for Youths and children.
Our target audience
National Council for children
Ministry For disability and the elderly
The ministry for youths and children
Action Taken!
Media campaigns,Workshops and one to one advocacy campaign.
Through these, a number of achievements have been reached most especially, the awaking up of the general public that there are deaf children and they have schools where they can be taken for education. Also, the parents have started developing the need to lobby their own leaders on the critical need to have special schools at community levels and solve the burden of looking for such schools in far areas.
