By Johannah Malogadihlare
Miss SA Mia le Roux and Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Art, culture and Recreation Matome Chiloane teamed up on Tuesday to promote sign language at schools.
Chiloane told a sign language mini festival at Transoranje School for the Deaf in Pretoria that to support hearing and deaf learners, the department had introduced the Basic South African Sign Language (SASL) to hearing learners starting from Grade 5.
Since sign language was declared the 12th official language in 2019, the MEC said teaching it would enhance interaction and social inclusion.
Le Roux was thrilled to see the government taking more of an initiative on the matter. She said that by promoting SASL, learners would be keen to pursue studies in the field of deaf education and interpreting.
Speaking to the learners, Le Roux said: “I believe that the deaf community, including me, we are so well capable of achieving our dreams if we are to believe in ourselves”.
While the MEC said: “We are building bridges and breaking barriers of teaching and learning.”
INSIDE EDUCATION