There are about 1 million deaf people in Vietnam. They have a hard time accessing information, health, education, transportation and other social services. Sign language – the language of the deaf and of deaf culture – is still largely unknown in Vietnam. There are currently ten sign language interpreters in the whole country. It is very difficult for the deaf to raise their voice in their families, at work and in society.
For the DVV International blog, Timothy Ireland gives an insight into the Mid-Term Review of CONFINTEA VI, which took place in Suwon, South Korea, from 25-27 October 2017.
In the project initiated by DVV International, students learn not only to read and write, but also how to open small businesses and invest in agriculture. The government of Mozambique aims to reduce the illiteracy rate to 41% by 2019.
Tarek is 24 years old and comes from Syria. He has been living in Germany for about a year-and-a-half and speaks basic German without an accent. When I met him at the language institute, he showed a shy smile but was confident in answering my questions. Before moving to Europe from Turkey, where lived with his parents for two years, he confessed he didn’t know anything about Germany, not even how to say “Hello”. Yet he has made great strides in the language, taking the language test for the B1 level after 900 course hours.
The app aims to impart basic skills in German through “chunk learning”. “Chunks” are fixed expressions such as “How are you?”, and routines which for instance introduce a polite request such as “Could you please…?” These useful phrases help to quickly acquire basic communication skills, and generally facilitate social contact with the German-speaking population.
Maria Khan, Secretary General of the Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE), a partner organisation of DVV International, talks about successes and challenges of the new global education agenda.
