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CAIRO – Deaf children in Egypt face serious barriers to finding education as many come from poor families and rural areas far from the capital, Cairo. Experts say nearly 5 million of Egypt’s 100 million people are deaf, in part due to frequent mixed marriages of close relatives.
Despite their big smiles and gushing enthusiasm, Deaf children in Egypt face serious challenges while the organizations advocating their education struggle to run quality programs.
Clair Malik, an educator who founded and built the Egyptian diocese of the Deaf Department of the Episcopal Church from scratch in 1982, said the school must work not only with deaf children but also with their parents, many of whom are from poor and rural areas are often uneducated.
She said the school is trying to teach sign language to parents to help them communicate with the children.
Malik, who studied for the Deaf at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, despite not being deaf, said great strides have been made in educating the deaf in recent years. Graduates from the Deaf Department have attended university, she said, and there are now sign language interpreters on government television and at at least one university in Egypt.
Mary Ishaq, who runs the school, oversees the many details of how her staff interacts with students. She told VOA that the upbringing of deaf people has both theoretical and practical aspects:
« The children, » she said, « learn to read and write from an academic perspective, and then they learn a skill so that they can make a living and not depend on society for support. »
Rev. Clement Alfons, a Deaf social worker, has worked to build a bridge between the deaf and the hearing. He said he studied with the deaf while growing up in Sudan and observing their needs.
Father Alfons told VOA that deaf children like him « were pushed aside and marginalized by society » as he was growing up.
« Deaf children, » he said, « often have bad habits and values because they often have bad role models. »
The Anglican Bishop Dr. Mouneer Anis said that despite the constant challenge of raising funds to run and staff the school, he takes pride in what it has accomplished.
He said that « instead of just being neglected children », students in the Deaf Unit « are now cared for » and « given the opportunity to play sports, learn crafts and socialize with their peers ».
« They are also being trained, » he said, « and some of them graduate from university … become productive and respected members of society. »
One of the most serious problems facing the Deaf unit this year is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the closure of the residential side of the program. Mouneer said it was a difficult decision.
He said the deaf unit used to house the many children who come from far away and cannot afford transportation every day.
Because of the pandemic, he said, « We can’t get them close together because it increases the risk of contracting the virus. »
16-year-old Esther, a graduate of the school, is one of the lucky few among deaf children in Egypt. She completed six years in the Deaf Department of the Episcopal Church in Cairo before attending a state high school. She says she takes pride in her achievement and comes back regularly to see former teachers and classmates.
Esther told VOA in sign language that « state schools are not as good as the Deaf Section, » but that she « hopes to go to college and study homework. » She jokes that she is « not sure she wants to get married and have children ».
Ten-year-old Julia, who learned to speak a few short sentences despite her deafness, enthusiastically shows her new skills and language skills. Malik said, « It is now possible to help many deaf children partially overcome their hearing impairment if they receive medical treatment early in life. »
Ref: https://www.voanews.com
