Dhaka Government Deaf High School: Unheard, unseen and forgotten

Little Sumona ran straight to her mother, giddily waving a drawing of a duck she had perfected on her fourth try. Her mother beamed with pride.

For a while, Sumona wordlessly spoke to her mother, gesticulating to fill up the silence. Her mother watched on, mimicking some of her daughter's gestures. Nothing was said. But also, everything was said.

Sumona is speech- and hearing-impaired. What would have once been reasons for her to eschew mainstream education no longer applied.

Especially not here, the  Dhaka Government Deaf High School.

The school was established in the capital's Bijoynagar to provide education to others with speech and hearing impairments. It remains the only institution in the country that empowers children with such impairments to sit for secondary school examinations.

But its glory days are far behind it.

Once the school had its own school bus and numerous classrooms full of children. 

Now it's only a tin-shed building. The name remains but its dreams have since faded.

A great initiative gone wrong

The first school for the speech and hearing impaired was established in Dhaka in 1914. In 1940, a club for the community was formed by the school. However, both were closed later.

Then in 1963, the East Pakistan Deaf-Mute Association was established under the Department of Social Welfare. After independence, it was renamed "Bangladesh National Association of Dumb and Deaf".

In 1976, the name was changed again to "Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf" or "Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf".

The main project of this organisation is Dhaka Government Deaf High School. The school became public in 2016.

Rusting for half-century

The school is a name-only educational institution that has no classes for physical, vocational, arts and crafts. There is no science lab or computer lab either. 

The school's infrastructure lacks adequate classrooms, clean and hygienic toilet facilities, libraries, restrooms and even hand washing or clean water facilities.

The window grills of the classrooms are rusted, the plaster of the walls is coming off, there are not enough fans, the classrooms are damp and the lighting is poor. 

The school has not undergone any renovation in the last 50 years. 

The school is running somehow in a tin shed building that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman built in 1974.

In 2005, the government allotted one acre of Khas land for the school in Lalbagh, Dhaka. There is a pending lawsuit over the land's ownership.

When Md Aminul Islam, headmaster of the school, joined as a junior teacher 34 years ago, the institution even had its own school bus with many other facilities. 

All those are gone now. 

"Have you seen the condition of our school? If it rains now, I have to close the school immediately," Aminul lamented. 

The headteacher said, "Although other such schools are under the Ministry of Social Welfare, our's is under the Ministry of Education."

He said the school is caught between the two ministries. "We are helpless in the tug of war between the two." 

There has been no infrastructure development, no teachers, no office staff, he said. "If the infrastructural issue was addressed, I could bring more teachers."

Awareness needed

The condition of the school became even more shaky after the pandemic. Many families suffered financially due to the pandemic. Parents feel spending on their special needs children is a waste. Many have left school because of all this. The number of students has also decreased. 

Besides, many parents are unaware of such a school. Many bring their children when they are too old. 

For example, the headteacher said, a mother brought her 27-year-old son for admission the other day. "It is not possible to teach someone of that age." 

Teachers drop out

Teachers are the heartbeat of such a school. Sometimes teachers visit students' homes to teach. During board exams, teachers have to go to the centres to explain to students the rigorous process of secondary exams. 

Bengali teacher Shiuli Saha said that they are not able to teach like in other schools. "These students need special care." 

Yet, the number of teachers has dropped to 12. The school had 27 teachers 12 years ago. 

Social studies teacher Mofizul Islam teaches different subject classes at the same time in the same room. Mofizul said the school is not hiring new teachers even when someone retires. Since the school has become public, they are not able to appoint teachers themselves.

No sign language

Many parents complain that sign language is not taught in the school. Due to this, there is a gap in communication.

However, headteacher Aminul Islam tries to communicate with the students in sign language. In between administrative work, he often visits the various classrooms and inspects the classes. Parents can also approach the head teacher for any small or big problem. 

No choice

With no other choice, many low-income families are forced to admit their children to the school. Those who can afford it send their children to various private schools and only bring their children to the Deaf High School during board exams. 

But those who cannot afford that opportunity, have to rely on this dilapidated and damp tin shed school.

Farzana got her youngest son admitted to the school as she could not afford a private one any longer. Every day, Farzana brings her son from Old Dhaka. Many more parents like Farzana have no other choice but to travel long distances for the sake of their children's education. 

The choice for parents coming from outside Dhaka is even more dire.

There is a hostel for male students with 120 occupants beside the school. The monthly cost for each student in the hostel is Tk4,000-Tk5,000. This is an expense too much to bear for many parents.

There is no hostel for girls yet.

Yet, outshining expectations

Student number was 7-8 when the school started in 1966. Now, 30 to 50 students appear for secondary exams every year from the school. The pass rate is not 100% but close. 

These students read the same books and follow the same syllabus as mainstream schools. There is no significant difference in examination questions and assessments. 

They just get a little more time in the examination. 

This is because these students are able to study only one-third of the book than normal students. Just passing the exam is their main goal.

Md Nazrul Islam, the school's mathematics teacher and assistant principal, said it is not easy to teach them. "We teach what is the easiest and the lessons that will help them pass exams." 

Finding a career

Teachers of the school often help students to go beyond their secondary education and find jobs. Teachers keep in touch with the institutes beforehand. 

Although it is hard for them to find high-paying jobs, their employment is increasing day by day. Currently, a large number of students are working in Keya Cosmetics, and many in Shawpno, Agora, and Apex.  Many girls choose to work in garments.