INDIA: Students who are deaf excel at Don Bosco Technical Institute

5 students who are deaf are learning and making new friends at Don Bosco Technical Institute in New Delhi

There are five students who are deaf attending and excelling at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in New Delhi, India. Ricky Singh is a first-year student of graphic design. He has been deaf since birth. After attending the St. Francis School for the Hearing Impaired in Lucknow, Singh learned about the programs at the Don Bosco Technical Institute and the opportunities offered to youth in need.

The institute offers educational programs for youth who have come from challenging backgrounds, including those living in poverty, those who have struggled with school in the past or those who might have a disability, such as Singh. In addition to regular coursework, the institute has co-curricular activities and sessions for personal growth.

Singh and the other four students who are deaf are able to communicate with each other in sign language and are proud of their academic achievements. Their teachers and classmates are also learning to sign, increasing the overall comfort and well-being of the students who are deaf. Despite challenges they may encounter, the students who are deaf are inspiration for other students by leading by example to show that anyone who dares to dream can work hard and transform those dreams into reality.

Singh said, “Though I am hearing and speech impaired, I am happy that God has gifted me with lots of other qualities and talents. It helps me to do things differently and grow together with other trainees of the institute. I feel happy, and I am proud to do this course at Don Bosco Technical Institute.”

Access to professional training and workforce development services is highly valued by youth in India. The country, which is home to 1.34 billion people (18 percent of the world’s population), will have overtaken China as the world’s most populous country by 2024, according to the World Economic Forum. While India has the world’s largest youth population, it has yet to capitalize on this, leaving some 30 percent of this population without employment, education or training.

India has the world’s fourth largest economy but more than 22 percent of the country lives in poverty. About 31 percent of the world’s multidimensionally poor children live in India, according to a report by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.