Pledge on dilemma of the deaf students
Published on: Thursday, August 06, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: In the light of the recent change in ministerial portfolio, President of the Sabah Society for the Deaf, Francis Yong appealed to newly-appointed Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching to address problems faced by the deaf students in Sabah, together with the newly-appointed Deputy Minister of Education I, Chong Sin Woon."It is hoped that all the education issues will be resolved soonest possible for the benefit of the deaf community in the State," he said.Just before the Federal Cabinet reshuffle, Yap, then Deputy Minister of Education I, had assured that the Ministry and Special Education Division officers would come out with some concrete solutions to resolve the problems at hand.ADVERTISEMENT She gave the assurance during her dialogue session on education issues with about 30 parents and teachers, and attended by 54 students from SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin at the Sabah Society for the Deaf Education Centre at Bukit Padang here, recently.One such issue is that currently, no Form Four and Five studies is provided for deaf students in Sabah, and neither are there enough courses offered by the Technical schools in the State, according to Yong."Upon completion of their Form Three education in SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin, the deaf students can only continue their academic pursuit to Form Four and Five in Pulau Pinang or Johor Bahru. Those who are not qualified to continue their studies or cannot afford to go to West Malaysia for further studies can only join the Keningau Technical School."However, the Keningau Technical School offers two courses only at the moment, that is, furniture and electrical course which are not suitable for the girls," he told the Deputy Education Minister.ADVERTISEMENT Expressing deep concern, Yong said presently, there are 73 deaf students studying in SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin this year, of whom 37 are in Form Three, who will be leaving the school at the end of the year."As the Deputy Education Minister, I am very concerned about the education and future of all the children in the country, including all the disabled people (OKUs) and the deaf. That's why I am here this morning at the behest of the President Francis Yong so that I can get first-hand information and understand your problems better," Yap had said. Yong wrote to her highlighting the issues plaguing parents and their children alike, especially secondary school deaf students.
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Earlier, in her address, Yap said she learned from media reports that the Society is a very active body."I am impressed that your Society has grown tremendously over the years and benefited the deaf community in Sabah. You have also provided Sign Language classes for parents and the public, which have enabled them to communicate with the deaf children better and build a closer relationship among them. Congratulations to the President and his dedicated team," she added.Over the last 30 years, the Society has successfully set up five education centres in Sabah, namely in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, KEningau, Kudat and Lahad Datu, providing mainly pre-school education to deaf children.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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She was accompanied by the Education Ministry's Deputy Director (Special Education Division), Rosnani Mohd Serin and Head of Policy & Operation Unit (Special Education Division), Mad Kassim Abd Malik. Also present were Assistant Director of Special Education, Jeffrey Sariku (Private Education & Special Education Unit), Head of Private Education & Special Education Sector, Awangku Jiar Pg Hj Duraman and Head of Private Education & Special Education Unit, Kassim Hj Buntak.Among those who attended the dialogue were Piluh @ Mathilda Osong who represented the Principal of SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin, Principal of SL Pendidikan Khas, Tuaran, Madjaie Lantas and Principal of Sabah Society for the Deaf Education Centre, Regina Wong.