The deaf protest, the Government promises solutions

The Kosovo Deaf Association has held today a protest before the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, but also in front of the Government building, seeking respect for the rights of persons of this category.

Protesters have demanded that the Ministry of Education provide classroom assistants in order to facilitate the learning process for students with hearing problems.

Representatives of the Kosovo Association of Deafmen have received Deputy Education Minister Heset Sahiti at the meeting.

US Representative Negoti Cakaj said that responsible institutions seek to improve the quality of education for deaf persons.

Citing reports made by the association he represents, Cakaj has mentioned alarming figures showing that deaf persons practically do not benefit from the education system offered in Kosovo.

From the reports that we have, 98 percent of the deaf who attend high school get illiterate, so they don't read-read. We have signed an understanding agreement with the Ministry of Education in 2013, where said 8 assistants and 2 sign language instructors should be employed. So far, we have only 1 hired instructor. So the goal is for children out of school to know written-read”, Cakay said.

Cakaj indicated that today they have failed to meet with Minister Shyqi as planned, but announced that a meeting has been scheduled with him Tuesday.

Protesters then moved in front of the government facility, where other requests were presented.

With several additional demands, the protest continued ahead of the government's targets.

The executive director of the Kosovo Shudor Association, Enver Kurtalani, said the Government wants the employment of persons of this category, quality education, sign language performers in institutions, etc.

I ask the Government for the range of services to be larger, not just in institutions, as we have so far. At the bank, for example, we are not offered sign performance services, we have swimming problems, and even there are no interpretation services”, Kurtalan said.

Kosovo Institute of Restricted Capables Chairman Bujar Kadriu has also supported the protest.

He has indicated that with fragmented laws it does not solve the problems of people with particular needs. Furthermore, he has called for the law on disabled people to be passed.

“Concept-document for the sweeping law pass to the government. This document will be normative which will regulate your life and your living standards. So even though that document has passed all the proceedings, even though we've received a guarantee from the Labour Minister that, in a week's term, it's going to be in government, for two months we have no information about that document”, it has hired Kadri.

Protesters, ahead of the Government object, have called for a meeting with Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, but the same is not in Kosovo.

The prime minister's political adviser, Halil Matoshi, who gave the protesters a promise, has emerged to them.

“The prime minister is on an official trip to the United States, so after a week, he will return to the country, respectively, and we will still receive you a Uvin delegation. You can tell us the requests whether they're written or you're going to consider them seriously because each category has the right to protest, has the right to say its word, so we'll listen to you with the utmost respect and we believe that we'll find a solution that's good for both sides, even for your Government, especially for you, ”, Mattos said.

Protesters have been scattered quietly.