RELEVANCE AND URGENCY OF SIGN LANGUAGE (L1) AND PORTUGUESE (L2 / LE) IN THE CURRICULUM OF DEAF STUDENTS IN MOZAMBIQUE

Abstract

This article is part of a doctoral research, focused on a study carried out in an inclusive regular school in Maputo, focusing on the teaching and communication language of the teacher / deaf student. Although the Constitutional Law (2004) recognizes that the teaching of the deaf should be carried out through the Mozambican Sign Language (LSM), this premise does not apply, since the curriculum of deaf students does not consider LSM as a language of instruction, nor as first language (L1), and also does not provide for the teaching of Portuguese as a second language (L2) and / or Foreign Language (LE). In a qualitative approach, of documentary analysis of legal norms and analysis of content of interviews with teachers, we analyzed the proposed curriculum and the ways in which it is applied, noting that the language that mediates the educational space is Portuguese, as hegemonic language, of teaching and communication skills. The results also show that LSM is a language of restricted and sporadic use of deaf students in the classroom, which jeopardizes the fulfillment and respect of their linguistic rights and leads to segregating pedagogical practices, discrimination and exclusion in educational environments. Teachers emphasize that they do not have adequate training to work with deaf students and refer to using non-standardized gestures and writing on the board as a way of trying to get around some difficulties. In a curricular and curricular justice curriculum, we conclude by highlighting the pertinence and urgency of LSM (L1) and Portuguese (L2 / LE) regulation in the school curriculum of deaf students in Mozambique.