History of Secondary School for the Deaf
A secondary school just for the deaf has been in the minds of all those associated with the Embangweni Primary School for the Deaf since that school opened. It seemed a far-off dream; relatively few students in Malawi ever go to secondary school. In order to attend secondary school, a student must first complete primary school (not always available or adequately staffed), pass the school-leaving exam (including a pass in English) and then be accepted to a secondary school. Unlike primary education, which is free and officially universal in Malawi, secondary schools charge fees and are generally boarding facilities. The cost for fees, books, supplies, uniforms and transport is often out of reach. The secondary schools available did not have teachers trained in special needs education; a school for the deaf would have to have teachers who could use sign language and who had been trained to work with the deaf learner. Although some deaf learners were managing to attend secondary schools, it was very hard for them and only a small percentage ever completed the course.
Clearly, there was a need for a school specifically geared toward the deaf student. Land was available on the eastern side of property already set aside for deaf school. The problem was funding. In 2010 the Reverend Robert Davenport and his wife, Elizabeth Allen, became interested in the schools for deaf and Robert began to find donors. Construction was begun in summer, 2013 and the only school for the deaf in Malawi opened in March 2015. The first learners were in Form 1 and numbered 15. Most were former students of Embangweni Primary School for the Deaf, but some came from other schools for the deaf in Malawi. The first, and current, headteacher was Mr. Benson Mhone. In 2020, he managed a faculty of 15 and a student body of 81 in Forms 1 through 6. Although other secondary schools have only Forms 1 through 4, the decision was made to add 2 years to the secondary education for the deaf students. This was deemed necessary because it takes longer to present material in sign language and for deaf students to process it than it does for a totally oral approach. For example, a student who is deaf cannot simultaneously listen to a teacher and look down to write notes. S/he must look at the teacher and the chalk board constantly in order to get the information. The teacher must remember to leave silent spaces so students can look away to write notes.
When the school opened, it consisted of a hostel able to sleep 40 boys, 4 boys to a room, plus the classroom block and an outdoor kitchen. Girls attending had sleeping space in a spare classroom at the Primary School for the Deaf. The classroom block had 2 classrooms and 2 small offices, both approximately 8’ x 10’ and opening directly into a classroom. One of these is used by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher; the other is used as a staff room where teachers do class preparations and take their tea break.
As the school expanded to include Forms 1 – 3, one of the classrooms was subdivided by a plywood wall to make 2 small classrooms. The original second classroom was also divided later to accommodate Form 4. When Forms 5 and 6 were established, space was borrowed at the Primary School for Deaf. This was less than ideal, as teachers and learners had to walk between the main school and these outlying classes; students had the uneasy sensation of being back in Primary and there was some unavoidable disruption due to different class schedules.
A girls’ hostel was built in 2017. As there are fewer girls than boys attending the school, two extra rooms at the hostel (with a separate entrance) are being used as the school library (with more than 1000 books) and for the mobile laboratory donated by the Malawian government.
In 2020, again with the support of Robert Davenport and Elizabeth Allen, a second classroom block was built which includes better office space and a larger staff room. This new building allows the entire student body to be on one campus.
The charter class was supposed to complete studies in May 2020; closures due to the covid-19 pandemic have made their actual completion time uncertain.
Long-range plans include teacher houses, a dining hall and an assembly hall. See the section “On-Going Needs” for more information.
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