Sichuan plans to pilot programs allowing deaf people to take teacher qualification exams, with gradual expansion to follow

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This post was last edited by hamiltontai on 2016-9-27 at 19:19. Standing at the podium, they communicate with the students using sign language. What’s special is that both the teachers on stage and the students below are deaf. However, even if the teachers on stage are qualified for this job, they are not allowed to become full-time teachers according to the regulations. However, this situation is expected to change. Recently, the official website of the Ministry of Education announced that the ministry plans to authorize Sichuan Province to carry out a pilot program allowing hearing-impaired individuals to take the teacher qualification exams for primary and secondary schools. Yesterday, the Provincial Department of Education also confirmed this news. 　　Peng Jihong, 30 years old, is a teacher at Luzhou Special Education School. But as a deaf person, she doesn’t have a permanent job position; is it easy to obtain a teaching qualification? Just a temporary employee. As early as in the first Sichuan Provincial Television Sign Language Competition in 2012, Peng Jihong fought his way through all the rounds and ultimately won the runner-up title in the deaf category. However, five full years have passed since it was established at Luzhou Special Education School in 2011, and Peng Jihong’s dream of becoming a full-time teacher has yet to come true. 　　Given Peng Jihong’s excellent performance, in 2013 the Luzhou Special Education School adopted a compromise approach by temporarily hiring him. However, the fact that he was not able to take the teacher recruitment exams and thus could not obtain a teaching qualification certificate remained a source of regret for Peng Jihong. 　　In 2013, Peng Jihong seized an opportunity when the local personnel department published a recruitment notice stating that the Luzhou Special Education School would be hiring 3 teachers. However, obstacles arose right after signing up. The HR department made it clear that to apply to be a teacher, one must first have a teacher qualification certificate. To obtain a teacher qualification certificate, it is necessary to first get a certificate proving one’s proficiency in Mandarin. This is an impossible task for the deaf and mute. 　　Peng Jihong’s dream is likely to come true. Recently, the official website of the Ministry of Education published the \"Response of the Ministry of Education to Proposal No. 9428 from the 12th National People’s Congress\", stating that the ministry intends to authorize Sichuan Province to carry out a pilot program allowing hearing-impaired individuals to take the exams for teacher qualifications in primary and secondary schools. At present, Sichuan Province is actively preparing for this pilot initiative. 　　This has also been confirmed by the Provincial Department of Education. Relevant staff from the department said that they had previously convened meetings with participants including those from special education schools, municipal and provincial education bureaus, disability organizations, as well as representatives of deaf people, to gather opinions. Additionally, the staff member said that the pilot will be carried out in a phased manner. According to a statement from the Ministry of Education, it has been exploring ways to relax the requirements for entering the profession of special education teachers, and eventually it will incorporate elements related to special education into the standards and syllabi for teacher qualification exams in primary and secondary schools.