Sign language should be a mandatory subject in schools

Martin Endjala Bernadette Jagger, the Deputy Minister of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, says sign language must be part of school curricula and become a mandatory subject in the Namibian school system. “It is believed that teaching sign language in schools, not only develops the confidence of deaf children to make friends and express themselves more, but hearing children will also gain the skills to communicate more with them,” she said. Jagger said this while contributing to a motion tabled recently in parliament by Deputy Minister Alexia Manombe-Ncube of Disability Affairs on recognising Namibian sign languages in the…