As a deaf person, I can boldly state that one of the biggest challenges we, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, face—especially at home and within other agents of socialisation—is communication barriers.
This challenge is most evident at home because many parents of Deaf children in Northern Nigeria primarily communicate in Hausa, with limited proficiency in English. Unfortunately, most Deaf children neither know Hausa nor their native tongues. Why? Because many parents wrongly assume their Deaf children cannot learn local languages, and therefore do not teach them from childhood. This is very unfortunate.
Schools that are meant to bridge the gap by teaching Deaf children how to communicate with their hearing counterparts often focus only on English Sign Language and English Language. Sadly, most parents understand neither. As a result, Deaf children are frequently isolated within their own families. This challenge is more pronounced in the North, where families depend heavily on Hausa—unlike in the South, where English and sign language are more widely understood.
Personally, I do not know Hausa very well. I only learned a little before losing my hearing. I had to pressure my family and siblings to teach me some words I did not understand. Even today, I still struggle with Hausa vocabulary, which is why I rarely write or chat in Hausa.
In many Deaf schools—including those in predominantly Hausa-speaking states and communities like Gombe—Hausa or any local language is not part of the curriculum. I speak from experience as a former student, and from interviews with current students and teachers. With the exception of Kano, schools in Northern Nigeria rely solely on English and Sign Language. If Hausa were taught, Deaf students could communicate more effectively with their parents and siblings at home.
I must commend former President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Disability Rights Bill into law, and the National Assembly for gazetting it and establishing the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) in 2019. The Commission has been working to implement the Act, which rightly calls for the inclusion of sign language in school curricula. This is commendable. However, this effort must go further. Deaf students also need access to their local languages. For Hausa-speaking communities, this means Hausa should be taught in schools to reduce the communication gap at home and in society.
Therefore, I urge the State Ministries of Education and, most importantly, the Federal Ministry of Education, to include Hausa in the curriculum of Deaf and Special Schools in predominantly Hausa-speaking communities in the North, Yoruba language in the South West, and Igbo in the South East. This will minimize communication barriers between the Deaf and their families and communities at large.
I believe this will significantly reduce communication barriers between Deaf students and their families, siblings, and communities.
Beyond curriculum reform, there is an urgent need to improve facilities in Special Schools. Sadly, many are in a state of neglect and disrepair. I recall when the wife of a former Governor visited my alma mater, Special Education Centre, Gombe—she wept at the dilapidated condition of the school. Yet, little to nothing was done afterward. Similarly, former Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq was once so shocked by the poor state of a Special School he visited that he publicly apologized to the pupils, admitting:
“Now that I have seen things for myself, I know the depth of the problem we have in this sector, and we will be responsible in allocating scarce resources. We will come back here to ensure that basic standards are met. The truth is that basic needs are not met and it is a shame. As a government, we want to apologize to you for living in this kind of condition, and we will make sure that minimum standards are met.”
This paints a clear picture of how people with disabilities continue to suffer neglect, isolation, and inadequate welfare. The government at all levels must rise to the challenge.
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GROWING CALLS FOR HAUSA LANGUAGE INCLUSION IN DEAF SCHOOLS
In a Facebook chat with the former Head Girl of Special Education Centre, Gombe, Maryam Meria Nasiru, she revealed that Hausa is the main language spoken at home and within her community. However, she lamented that throughout her primary and secondary education, Hausa was never part of the school curriculum.
Miss Nasiru explained that she communicates with her parents and siblings mostly through local sign language or writing. She added that some of her family members have learned basic sign language to interact with her. While she understands a few Hausa words through lip-reading or writing, she relies more on sign language and English, since she was never taught Hausa in school.
When asked how she feels about this communication gap, she said:
> “It can be frustrating when I struggle to communicate with them in Hausa because I am not very good at it.”
On whether Hausa should be introduced in Deaf schools, she responded:
> “Yes, I would like my school to introduce Hausa alongside sign language and English, because this would help me connect better with my community and family.”
Similarly, Comrade Hadi Mohammed, President of the Nigerian University Association of Hearing Impaired Students (NUAHIS), University of Jos Chapter, echoed the same concern.
“Although Hausa dominates in my community, neither my primary nor secondary school taught Hausa, leaving me unable to communicate effectively in the language,” he said. “I communicate with my family in local sign language, but they don’t fully understand it.”
Admitting that none of his family members understands English sign language, he added:
> “No, not at all. Unfortunately, I feel bored. I am still worrying about how to communicate with them.”
He strongly supported the introduction of Hausa in Deaf schools across predominantly Hausa-speaking communities:
> “Because Hausa is very useful in Northern culture, it should be included in our schools.”
When contacted, Malam Safiyanu Ibrahim, a teacher at Special Education Centre, Gombe, also highlighted the absence of Hausa as a major challenge. He explained that this omission has deepened isolation among Deaf students and widened the communication gap between them and their families.
He maintained that introducing Hausa as a subject in Deaf schools across Hausa-speaking communities would go a long way in addressing this problem.
However, he cautioned that implementation would face challenges:
> “Even if Hausa is introduced, the lack of special teachers who understand both Hausa and sign language, as well as inadequate instructional materials, will hinder effective learning.”
He called on the government and education stakeholders to not only include Hausa in the curriculum but also recruit qualified teachers and provide the necessary learning facilities to make Hausa language education effective for Deaf students in predominantly Hausa-speaking communities.
Comrade Yusuf Yahaya Kumo
Founder, Inclusive Reporters via yusufkumo191@gmail.com | inclusivereporters2021@gmail.com
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