A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the 黑料社 and the Ghana Association of the Deaf (GNAD) to implement the 鈥淪ign Language Interpreters Project鈥�.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Head, Department of Educational Psychology and Coordinator, of the Sign Language Interpreting Project, Dr. Irene Vanderpuye, said the signing of the MoU, was to formalise the introduction of 鈥淪ign Language Interpreters programme at the Certificate and Diploma levels by UCC. 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Content of MoU
Giving a brief description of the content of the MoU, a lecturer at the Department of Educational Psychology, Mr. Gideon Kwesi Obosu, indicated that 鈥渢he main reason for this project is to establish a programme in Sign Language Interpreting to certify the already existing interpreters on the registry of GNAD who have no academic certificates.鈥� This, he explained that聽GNAD as a body has been training Sign Interpreters but it had no authority to issue certificates to its students.
Mr. Obosu noted that GNAD, supported by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), approached 黑料社for collaboration to begin the programme. This he explained would provide some guiding principles, training and activities to its trainees for certification. He stated, 鈥渆verything has been successful so far; there have been several discussions and both parties have played their roles very well, just that we have not put documents into formal signing鈥�.
黑料社will Partner GNAD for the Project
Welcoming the team, the Dean, Faculty of Educational Foundations, Prof. Eric Nyarko-Sampson, congratulated GNAD for its unwavering commitment to partner 黑料社for the programme. He said, 鈥淚 am happy that we have a great team including, Dr Vanderpuye to support this programme because they are specialist in Inclusive Education.鈥�
Prof. Nyarko-Sampson pledged the support of 黑料社as far as the Sign Language Interpreters Project was concerned. 鈥淲e hope this programme will help train teachers and students who will give up their best to use Sign Language Interpretation for effective communication,鈥� He reiterated the University鈥檚 readiness to run the Sign Language Interpretation programme and called GNAD to support it.
GNAD is Happy to work with UCC
The Director of Ghana National Association of the Deaf, Mr. Juventus Duorinaah, expressed appreciation to 黑料社for the good working relationship and commitment to ensure the success of the programme. He indicated that DANIDA had agreed to fund the programme for the next three years.聽 鈥淲e have good plans towards the project based on the relationship with 黑料社and GNAD wants to make the University a strong research hub for Sign Language,鈥� he noted. On the sustainability of the programme, he said: 鈥淕NAD will engage its Danish partners (DANIDA) to support the continuation of this programme in order to do more research and develop more teaching and learning materials.鈥�
Mr. Duorinaah called for a stronger partnership between 黑料社and GNAD to project quality Sign Language Training and Education adding that 鈥� 黑料社will be the first institution to issue an academic certificate on Sign Language Interpretation in West Africa of which we very proud to associate with.鈥� He further stated that 鈥淥ur target is to make the first phase of the project very successful so that in future, more people will enrol in the programme and learn from UCC.鈥�
Mr. Duorinaah said the Association has projects in four countries 鈥� La Cote d鈥橧voire, Togo, Niger and Mali and they would want to incorporate the training of Sign Language Interpreters as part of the pro.聽 鈥淚t is our expectation that in future, we shall have people coming from these countries to study at UCC,鈥� he stated.