MP RSK trains govt school teachers in sign languages for effective communication

Indore: Madhya Pradesh’s Rajya Shiksha Kendra (RSK) has collaborated with language experts and non-government organizations to train government school teachers of the state in sign languages to facilitate communication in specially abled children. More than 500 teachers of government schools of Madhya Pradesh have been trained in sign languages to communicate to physically challenged children in schools and more are targeted to be trained in the second phase.The National Education Policy 2020 has also recommended standardization of the Indian Sign Language (ISL) across the country and development of National and State curriculum materials for use by students with hearing impairment.Dhanaraju S, Director, Rajya Shiksha Kendra, said, “The idea is to focus and promote the use of sign languages for specially abled children to understand their requirements and establish a channel of communication with them. We have started training government school teachers in sign languages and more will be trained in coming months through our master trainers and language experts.”International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated on September 23. In Indore district, teachers from more than 1,000 schools have been trained so far in sign languages. Abid Ali, assistant project coordinator, Inclusive Education for deaf, Zila Siksha Kendra said, “We are targeting to train government school teachers in all the districts of the state. The idea is to prepare a team of master trainers from this bunch of teachers who could further train others in their schools and areas. Knowledge of sign language will be a very effective tool in communicating with disabled and to bring them into the mainstream.” Social organisations have also raised their voices to train hearing and speech impaired in sign languages to enhance opportunities for higher education.Gyanendra Purohit, a social activist said, “We have been working on educating people on sign language for Hindi vocabulary. We feel this can be an easy and strong way to communicate with specially abled children especially in Hindi speaking belts. The recommendation of the National Education Policy for standardisation of sign language in curriculums will pave a new path for the specially abled children of the country.” Young Indians, Indore has also urged the government to establish an inclusive Emergency Helpline (14456) for the deaf community, staffed with qualified sign language interpreters. "We urge the government to recognize the urgency of this matter and prioritize the functionality of Emergency Deaf Helpline. This is not only a step towards inclusivity but also a testament to our dedication to providing equal and timely assistance to all members of society, including the deaf and hard of hearing community," said Naina Navlani, Accessibility vertical Chair of Young Indians.
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