The Ministry of Education in collaboration with Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has embarked on supporting persons with hearing impairments by among others providing training of trainers.
Speaking at the opening of training which is taking place in Dowa district, MACRA Director General, Daudi Suleman, said communication services shouldn’t be limited and are supposed to be universal.
“In universal service provision, it means everyone, regardless of geographical or socio-economic factors, must access the communication services.
Every Malawian, wherever they are, regardless of their disabilities, must access these services and these services must be affordable and of good quality,” he said.
He added that urbanization and digitalization are some of the key pillars in achieving Vision 2063.
“As we push towards attaining the dream of an inclusive and self-reliant Malawi, we must make sure that everyone is included and the digital economy is the key driver to Malawi attaining its newfound economic goals.
“In that digital economy, it is very important that every Malawian, including people with hearing impairments, has access to communication services, that every Malawian is connected to the Internet and that the connections are meaningful,” added Suleman.
In her remarks, Deputy Director for Inclusive Education in the Ministry of Education, Lucy Magagula, hailed MACRA’s financial support for the training as it will bridge the communication gap between the teachers and the learners, which includes those with hearing impairments.
Magagula highlighted that the workshop will help teachers to have a fair interaction with deaf learners and manage classroom situations without leaving anyone behind.
She also highlighted that the Ministry of Education cannot manage to invite every teacher because of resource constraints but anticipated that those attending the workshop will transfer knowledge to others who could not attend.
The five-day training aims to bridge the communication gap between the community and the public by promoting sign language.
