A WEEK-LONG study tour in Germany by a representative of the ministry of education and the association for Children with Language, Speech and Hearing Impairments of Namibia (CLaSH) aims to engender the vision for comprehensive education in Namibia.
The visit from 10 to 18 November 2018 will be undertaken by Leopoldine Nakashole, the deputy director of special programmes and schools at the ministry, and Heide Beinhauer, the director of ClaSH, to support the ministry of education’s visionary approach towards an education system that is inclusive of the early years in a child’s development.
The trip, which is being facilitated by CLaSH and funded by a private sponsor, will include educational visits to Oldenburg, Osnabrück and Hannover in Lower Saxony, and finally Hamburg, a major port city in northern Germany.
Beinhauer said the visit will be filled with tours to internationally recognised health and education facilities, and will provide a comprehensive overview of available services, interventions and rehabilitation measures.
“Ms Nakashole will have the opportunity to observe and experience all the steps of interventions for children with hearing loss, from newborns’ hearing screening, hearing aid fitting, cochlear implant surgery, pre-, primary and high school education, vocational training and tertiary education, up to the successful integration of well-qualified deaf adult artisans in the labour market,” she explained.
The trip will also include a visit to a centre for blind and deaf children, as well as the “Evangelische Stiftung Alsterdorf”, a model institution for inclusivity.
Beinhauer added that the University of Hamburg will explain how they train teachers to be specialists in various fields of disability, while the Institute for German Sign Language will inform them about sign language research, linguistics and the training of sign language interpreters.
Besides, “Lufthansa Technik” will illustrate how they train and successfully employ aeroplane technicians who are deaf.
Meanwhile, education permanent secretary Sanet Steenkamp and Beinhauer signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday concerning future cooperation between the two parties.
Beinhauer said the agreement acknowledges the many years of close cooperation and collaboration between CLaSH and the ministry, and gives direction to envisaged developments aimed at the integration of specialised early education services for deaf children, empowerment programmes for their parents, and formal education as offered at government schools for the deaf.
“It is indeed a privilege for CLaSH to be able to host the ministry of education on a study tour of this magnitude. This tour will certainly strengthen the bond between CLaSH and the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture even further, and enhance the holistic, yet individualised approach to education that both institutions are striving for,” she noted.
Nakashole told The Namibian yesterday that Germany has a strong and very complex educational system for people with hearing impairments from early childhood development to tertiary level and market deployment.
“Therefore, this educational visit will enable the division of special programmes and schools to see through CLaSH’s integration with the ministry as well as the entire special education systems,” she said.
She added that some of the challenges the country faces when it comes to education for the deaf include a lack of adequate equipment, stigma towards deaf pupils, a shortage of adequately trained teachers to implement education policy for the deaf effectively, and limited numbers of well-versed professionals in special needs education.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
