Historically, education for deaf people has faced challenges. However, it is worse in the communities living in rural areas. Outside the city, there is limited access to assisted learning resources, trained teachers, and viable communication methods. There are initiatives by the deaf community and the government, but what impact is it making? Here are some critical aspects of education for deaf people in rural Egypt. 

Background on the Deaf Community

The deaf community in Egypt is a culturally and linguistically distinct minority group. In Ancient Egypt, deaf people were well respected, but times have changed. The language barrier hinders their life experience and makes necessities inaccessible. 

For example, Falling on Deaf Ears is a documentary that sheds light on the struggles between government institutions and deaf Egyptians. They can’t get access to government assistance or healthcare because of the availability of resources like interpreters. 

In 2014, Egypt ratified a new constitution for people with disabilities, guaranteeing citizenship rights. It meant to make public places accessible to deaf people and others with disabilities. Four years later, another law ensured the government would provide employee training to work with deaf people. Yet, there are a dozen cases where problems arise even after the implementation of this law, as Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism reports (Arij).

The problems for deaf people here don’t stop at the hospital. It’s also in the classroom. 

Sign Language in Egypt

The deaf people in Egypt use Egyptian Sign Language (ESL). Lexically and grammatically, it isn’t related to any other Sign Languages like Jordanian, Palestinian, or Libyan. The statistics of how many people in Egypt use ESL could be more reliable. Gallaudet University estimated in 1999 that 2 million people in Egypt use it to communicate. Later, in 2007, the World Health Organization reported that hearing loss across age groups in Egypt was 16%. However, ESL is not part of the official languages in Egypt. That is disconcerting for the deaf community, especially with accessibility. 

The typical cultural stigma of being deaf and using ESL as the mode of communication stands in Egypt. It’s quite a tricky situation to navigate. Living in the city presents a more open mindset, but the countryside is a different story. 

Life in Rural Egypt

Rural life remains the same. Families live in the same house from one generation to the next. It’s a sedentary lifestyle, working and living off the land. The roles of men and women are also traditional. Cultural norms have mostly stayed the same. Life in rural Egypt presents struggles and challenges, especially with education and a prosperous lifestyle.

Discrimination plays a role in Egyptian society. It occurs against gender, political standing, religion, sexual orientation, and physical characteristics. Some deaf children in Egypt face economic disparities and come from uneducated backgrounds. The government, unfortunately, only provides up to secondary education, and some churches offer primary education for disabled kids. Therefore, creating an uncertain future for the deaf community. 

Education in Egypt

In general, the education system is very good in Egypt. Most years of schooling are free depending if a child’s parents choose to send them to a public or private school. The only problem many schools face is overcrowded classrooms, but this only tells the story of hearing students. 

Since ESL is not an official language in Egypt, it already puts deaf kids behind their hearing peers. Most teachers are not fluent in Sign language, so 60% of students cannot receive an adequate education, contributing to low literacy rates (Arij). There are 193 schools throughout Egypt, but only three for deaf people. 

Deaf students from poorer families in rural areas suffer the most, as these resources for schooling are inaccessible. In Egypt, outside of the big cities like Cairo and Alexandria, Arij reports that the school enrollment rates for deaf students are as low as 9%. About 62% of deaf children don’t attend school, and only 23% complete their education. 

For deaf children in Egypt, the education they can receive focuses on vocational training and jobs they can do with their hands, like carpentry and design. In some ways, this paves a path for a future, but reading and writing are still essential skills they need. Even more necessary for their success at school are the lessons in their native ESL. 

The Implementation of Egyptian Sign Language in Schools

By March 2020, the Minister of Education, Reda Hegazy, announced that schools would implement ESL into the curriculum to facilitate communication between deaf students and teachers. As of 2023, Sign Language is in the curriculum of the Egyptian education system. It’s a clear initiative towards inclusivity for deaf students and bridging the education gap regardless of their status. The Ministry of Education also hired more teachers specialized in teaching deaf students, activities, and teaching methods geared towards motivating deaf students to look beyond their deafness and making learning more accessible. 

It came true because of the deaf community and raising awareness. Egyptians educated abroad work with organizations to start schooling programs for deaf students living in rural communities. Clair Malik is an example. She studied at Gallaudet University and started the Egyptian Diocese of the Episcopal Church’s Deaf Unit in 1982. It’s a school that works with children outside Cairo and northern Egypt. For the past 20 years, educators built a system based on theoretical and practical approaches to teach deaf students effectively. Her curriculum focuses on reading, writing, and hard skills that will help deaf students be independent in the hearing society. 

With Malik’s school, it’s not only about deaf students receiving a quality education. It’s about fighting the social stigma. Most of the staff at the school is deaf, except for Malik. Therefore, they understand what it’s like to struggle in a society that marginalizes and disregards their existence. With deaf students, the staff here have found that they have destructive behaviors because of the environment they grow up in. But the school is seeking to change that, no matter the hardships, because it’s not only working with deaf students but also the parents who come from uneducated backgrounds. 

Despite the global pandemic that made life even harder for deaf students in this program, Malik has a phenomenal success rate with students going on to study at university. The students remarked that this unique program made them believe in themselves. The public schools mistreat rather than neglect them, says 16-year-old Esther, a recent graduate. 

Deafness and Gender Roles

Being deaf and from a rural area is the tip of the iceberg. Because of gender roles existing in the Middle East and Africa, deaf girls also face adversity. UNICEF spoke to an educator, Hanan Abd El-Muttaleb, whose daughter participated in the Dawie, loosely translated as “echo” in Arabic. UNICEF supports this national initiative and brings voices to girls, most notably those who are deaf. Its core purpose is to help these participants realize their full potential and persuade their communities to do the same. It allows society to see girls differently. It also creates a sense of community for these deaf girls to openly communicate their struggles and provide them with education on feminine issues that are typically taboo. 

While there are significant issues with the government and societal response to the deaf community, we must not dismiss the incredible initiatives taken already. Education empowers communities and can do the same for deaf people in Egypt. By embracing their unique abilities, there is potential for a brighter and more inclusive future. 

How can education empower deaf communities worldwide? Learn more at https://www.unspokenasl.com/

Thumbnail Photo Credit to: “Egypt-12B-046 – Step Pyramid Complex” by archer10 (Dennis) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.