The Nigerian Deaf school tries to reach a good education level by providing a bicultural learning environment.

Within Enugu State in eastern Nigeria, there are several primary schools for the deaf run by the State Government, and few others (if any) are run by private bodies. Within Enugu city itself there is one school for the deaf. Its establishment dates back to the time of the advent of Dr. Andrew J. Foster. It was open in 1965. After the crazy Nigerian civil war (1967-1970) it merged with the Government School in Enugu. Another deaf school was also founded at Nsukka, a town some miles away from Enugu. But the State Government has never thought of coming up with the idea of establishing a secondary (middle) School for the deaf. As a result of this setback, deaf pupils coming out of Enugu State primary school for the deaf had to look else where for secondary education, if they wish to resume.  So since there is the Imo State School for the Deaf at Olodo in Imo State, some deaf people from Enugu and other towns in the south-eastern Nigeria resort there.

It was not until the school year of 1999/2000 that one Mr. Promise Uche G.G. Nwode, a deaf man, initiated another school for the deaf in the city of Enugu, known as Model School for fhe Deaf(MSD)at first, located Ifo Layout, Behind Abakpa Nike Girls’ Secondary School,Ugboezeji, Abakpa Nike, Enugu(Enugu State) and occupying the ground floor of an uncompleted two-storey building.

Before conceiving the idea of starting the school, Nwode had spent much of his early youth evangelising the deaf in Enugu State and its environs. It is through him that most of the deaf youths living today have come to know the Word of God. He established Christian worship centres for them to teach them and train them in serving God and becoming Church leaders. And all this was years after Andrew J. Foster had opened Bible meetings in this city and at Oji River (Enugu State); but these Bible meetings disappeared with the violent eruption of the Nigerian civil war in 1967.

It was here that, on March 2, 2000, the Model School for the Deaf held its first primary and secondary classes. So this private school was then the only one in the entire Enugu State to start providing secondary education to deaf and hearing-impaired persons.

 What necessitated the establishment of this school was the increase in:

• Widespread illiteracy among the deaf
• Neglect/rejection by society
• Abuse in the family
• Moral and spiritual decay
• Serious problems in getting full academic education beyond the primary level, etc, since not all deaf persons’ parents could allow or afford to let them go in neighbour states for further learning.

The emergence of the Model school for the Deaf then came as a relief for many children and youths thirsty for secondary education. By the end of 2005, both female and male deaf students alike were ready to sit for the West Africa Examination Council and Senior Secondary Certificate of Examination (WAEC/SSCE) alongside their hearing counterpart. When the examination results were released, it was discovered that the deaf students of this school had outperformed most hearing students. One of the students, a lady, is now in university and taking time off to work as primary school teacher in this very school where she had her secondary education. Few others like her are very useful to the school today.

The Model school for the Deaf, while it remained in the city of Enugu was supported with funds and donations from Churches and individuals. Moderate fees paid by students also went into taking care of teachers’ salaries and administrative needs.

While plans were underway to start this school, the Enugu State Ministry of Education was approached and duly informed. When the State Ministry of Education gave its approval and work started, the Permanent Secretary to the Commissioner of Education became a friend of Mr. Promise Uche G.G. Nwode and the school. When it became known throughout this ministry that it was a deaf man that initiated this independent/private institution for the deaf, it (the ministry) felt embarrassed that the State Government has not hitherto come up with this kind of progressive move on behalf of the deaf.

As the friendship and the mutual interaction between the director of MSD and that Permanent Secretary grew, things went well; and when a short while later the Permanent Secretary became the Commissioner for Education in Enugu State, he engineered the establishment of a government-run residential secondary school for the deaf in Enugu. So now there are two (2) secondary schools for the deaf in this city – one private, the other government-owned—the latter providing almost free education. But in terms of provision of better academic, moral and spiritual education, the government-owned secondary school for the deaf is no match for the Model Secondary school for the Deaf.

Sign Language is a complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body. It is the first language of many deaf Nigerian, and one of several communication options available to deaf people.

DEAF SIGN LANGUAGES:

• Bura Sign Language
• Nigerian Sign Language (derived from American Sign Language with local and Ghanian sign influences)
• Hausa Sign Language (Maganar Hannu or Managar Bebaye) is the sign language of the Deaf community in Hausa-speaking areas of Northern Nigeria.

References:

- Schmaling, Constanze (1997). Maganar Hannu: Language of the hands. A descriptive analysis of Hausa Sign Language. University of Hamburg , Department of African and Ethiopian Studies

- Kamei, Nobutaka (2004). The Sign Languages of Africa, “Journal of African Studies” (Japan Association for African Studies) Vol. 64, March, 2004

- http://library.gallaudet.edu/deaf-faq-world-sl-country.shtml

- http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/LLDescription.cfm?code=nsi

No one form of sign language is universal. For example, British Sign Language (BSL), Italian Sign Language (LIS), French Sign Language (LSF), American Sign Language (ASL), Finnish Sign Language (FSL) differs notably from NSL. Different sign languages are used in different countries or regions. Hundreds of sign languages are in use around the world and are at the cores of local Deaf cultures.

This means that Deaf people do not have full access to information and services that hearing people take for granted, including education, health and employment. We believe this is the best way for Deaf people to take part in society full participation and equalization of opportunities primarily means that through Sign Language, Deaf people can gain full human rights and appropriate services, equally to hearing people. Some sign languages have obtained some form of legal recognition, while others have no status at all.

Deaf Culture

Deaf people all over the world view themselves as belonging to a linguistic minority with its own culture. This Deaf community has its own language (Sign Language) and specifically for Nigerian Deaf culture - Nigerian Sign Language. Deaf culture has its own history, shared values, social norms, customs and technology that are transferred from generation to generation. The term “Deaf” is written with a capital “D”. Historically, Sign Language the main element that’s binds Deaf People together was suppressed and not accepted in a Deaf person’s life. That is, at home, school and in society in general. Deaf people were seen as deviants from general society norms and therefore in need of rehabilitation. This gave rise to a view of deafness called the clinical or pathological view.

Clinical/ Pathological view

Traditionally, the hearing majorities who interact with Deaf people on a professional basis tend to view the Deaf minority pathologically, that is . as sick people. Hearing people focus on how Deaf people are different from themselves and define the differences negatively, in the following way:

- Deaf people are an audio-logically definable group of persons whose hearing loss is sufficient to create interference with but not preventing the normal perception of speech.
- Deaf people have learning and psychological problems due to their hearing loss and communication difficulties.
- Deaf people should be treated differently than the hearing majority.
- Deaf useless and many other things prejudges

Social and cultural view

- The modern view of deafness involves the recognition of Deaf people as a cultural minority. Sign Language is recognized and accepted as the natural language of the Deaf. This acceptance includes the acknowledgement that the Deaf community is in fact a sub-cultural group of the wide world.
- This involves the recognition of the Deaf people as a group of persons who share a common means of communication (Sign Language) and culture which provides the basis on which group cohesion and identity develop
- Deaf people do not consider themselves disabled.

A group of people come and live together, share common goals and carry out certain responsibilities towards each other, they form a community. Any given community is bound by its own language and culture. For the Deaf community, Sign Language is the binding factor.

Schools for the Deaf form the foundation upon which the Deaf community, Deaf culture and Sign Language develop and thrive. It is at school where Deaf children meet others like themselves for the first time and learn to sign from peers and Sign Language becomes their first language.

The Deaf child acquires the culture of the Deaf community which entails common beliefs, attitudes, customs, behaviors, social habits, values and technology.

Socialization in the Deaf community

Because of the bonding among Deaf people which starts in schools of the Deaf, Deaf adults gather in certain places and engage in social events involving Deaf people and hearing friends who have a certain degree of fluency in Nigerian Sign Language. If the hearing people have an appropriate attitude towards the Deaf community. This means they can enter into the Deaf community.

The Deaf community considers itself as a linguistic/cultural minority, not only in Nigeria but in other countries too.

The Director and staff are happy to tell you that we have received the material, the economic and the website donated by some associations and individuals International people who thoughtfully for the deaf children in Africa.

ITALY:

- Roberto Wirth Fund, Rome
- ENS of Biella, Turin
- ENS of Caltanisetta, Sicily
- ENS and the company IL DAVID, Florence
- Gruppo SILIS, Rome
- Anna Pascucci, Rome
- Carmelinda Fortunato, Matera
- Gabriella Canzano, Reggio Emilia
- Others…..

BELGIUM:

- Signfuse, Belgium
We are very grateful to them and so much appreciate their gifts.

Director Rev. Promise U. Nwode

Tiziana Gulli (from Italy) and Kenneth Yali Diouf were already know each others. In 2007, she requested to come over to our Deaf school at Africa in Nigeria.

We espoused her suggestion and worked to see that she come and stay with us as a volunteer service worker for 3 months. And she did come with another deaf woman, also an Italian, Chiara Di Monte.

I am Kenneth Yali Diouf, well associated with the said Deaf school.
Our two guests told us about the Roberto Wirth foundation and so I have thought it necessary to invite you to look at the websites since these two wonderful girls are from Italy.

Please go to www.freewebs.com/kennethdiouf to see the amazing great things in our Deaf school. Click on Chiara Di Monte and Tiziana Gulli to read speeches and see photos as you scroll down.

                        The Faculty

                        The Primary School

                      The Building of the Deaf School in Afikpo at Ebony State

                        The Secondary School

                        In the classroom primary school

Deaf Teacher/author Diouf Yali Kenneth

Deaf Teacher Emeka Nzem

Deaf Teacher Blessing Agah

In High School, deaf teacher Caroline Onu