300 march for recognition of sign language

From: Independent Online, South Africa - 08 Feb 2003

About 300 deaf students marched to the regional offices of the department of education on Friday to demand that sign language be officially recognised in schools' curriculum.

Led by the Deaf Federation of South Africa and Disabled People South Africa, the national march was the first surrounding a language issue since the Soweto uprising of 1976.

Both organisations threatened to protest every month. Similar protests occurred simultaneously in all provinces where memorandums were handed to the various provincial education MECs. - Own Correspondents

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