New Language to be Introduced In Schools According to Bill in Parliament
Introduction
If a new draft legislation successfully makes its way through the National Assembly, there’s the potential for incorporating basic sign language into the school curriculum. The Kenya Sign Language Bill of 2023, championed by Nominated MP Umulkher Harun Mohamed, seeks to establish recognition, promotion, development, and usage of Kenyan sign language.
Alignment with the Constitution
This draft Bill underscores its alignment with the Constitution, particularly referring to Articles 54 and 56, which require the government to take measures to protect the rights of marginalized groups, including people with disabilities.
Advocacy and Awareness
During a presentation to the Budget and Appropriations Committee, Mohamed stressed the importance of introducing early sign language education in Kenyan schools, highlighting the challenges faced by the deaf community due to limited sign language knowledge among the general population.
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International Commitments
Kenya ratified the United Nations General Assembly’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008, which called for the inclusion of sign language interpreters in all television news broadcasts.
As a result, all TV stations must now provide sign language interpretation during their news broadcasts. The CRPD also recommended facilitating sign language teaching and promoting the linguistic identity of the deaf community.
Establishment of the Kenyan Sign Language Council
The proposed legislation also suggests creating the Kenyan Sign Language Council, responsible for regulating sign language interpretation. The council would promote the use of Kenyan sign language, conduct research, raise awareness about the deaf community’s culture and heritage, set and enforce standards for training and practice of sign language interpreters, register and license interpreters, maintain a registry of interpreters, determine minimum service fees, and develop ethical and disciplinary standards for interpreters.
New Language to be Introduced In Schools According to Bill in Parliament
