Secondary School for the Deaf - CLASSES
Students at the Embangweni Secondary School for the Deaf use the same national curriculum as any other secondary school in Malawi. They use the same books as their hearing peers; few can afford to buy books, which makes it hard for them to cope. As noted with the section for Primary School for Deaf, a deaf student needs more time to obtain and process material being presented. They do not have the luxury of listening while glancing out the window or writing down something they need to remember. They must watch the teacher every moment, putting together the teacher’s sign, lips and facial/body movements and what has been written on the chalkboard. It is very hard work. Because of this difficulty, the leaders at Embangweni Secondary School for the Deaf decided to have the students spend 6 years at Secondary rather than the usual 4 years for hearing students.
The Secondary School curriculum in Malawi is a heavy one. The curriculum contains 11 subjects: Mathematics, Chichewa, English, Physics (Physical Science), Social Studies, History, Bible Knowledge, Agriculture, Geography, Biology and Chemistry. When the time comes for a student to take the school-leaving exam, s/he selects 6 subjects to be tested in. One of these must be English and, as across all grades, a “pass” in English must be achieved or the entire exam is failed. When the students reach the upper Forms, they can elect to focus on six subjects and stop taking the rest. All teaching is done in English using Sign Language as part of the Total Communication Method.
The deaf Secondary School learners face many challenges, not the least of which is inadequate classroom space. The available rooms are small which results in crowded, uncomfortable conditions. Desks and chairs (usually benches) are shared by 2 or more students.
According to head teacher Mr. Benson Mhone “… books and reference materials are limited and the students have to exchange books which limits the access to the required material for sitting exams. … This also includes necessary laboratory equipment for sciences.”
Because this is the only Secondary School in Malawi serving the deaf learners, the school draws students from all regions of the country. This can create some problems, as not all deaf are taught sign language or may have different signs than those used at Embangweni. This is similar to having a different dialect in the United States. It can take a week or even 3 weeks for new students to understand the sign language; those who are born deaf usually pick it up more quickly. Since everyone lives at the school, new students see sign all day long in many situations and so do learn it quickly. Teachers may arrive without knowledge of sign language, but because they, too, are immersed in sign they learn it rapidly.
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