Hand & Sign Day 2025 Promotes Inclusive Early Childhood Education in Sarawak

KUCHING — The Hand & Sign Day 2025, organised by the Sarawak Society for the Deaf (SSD) in collaboration with SeDidik Sarawak, once again underscored the state’s commitment to inclusive and universal early childhood education.

The event, held on Sunday, was officiated by Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, who described it as a celebration of the right to communication — a right that should be accessible to all, not a privilege for a few.

In his speech, Dato Wee highlighted that for the deaf and hard of hearing community, language access is essential for education, employment, health, safety, and full participation in society.

“In Malaysia, that bridge is called Malaysian Sign Language (BIM),” he said, commending SSD and SeDidik for their continuous efforts to promote inclusivity through teacher training, preschool equipment, and family-based sign language learning.

He emphasised that early exposure to inclusive communication is vital for children — both hearing and deaf — to understand that differences should never be seen as disadvantages.

Describing inclusivity in early education as “nation-building in action,” Dato Wee also urged parents and guardians to take part by learning basic sign language and celebrating their children’s progress.

He further called for the spirit of inclusiveness to extend beyond classrooms and into all public spaces, including clinics, police stations, houses of worship, banks, workplaces, and supermarkets.

“Imagine if every front-line counter in Kuching mastered just 30 basic BIM signs — the daily experience of deaf people would be completely transformed,” he said.

Dato Wee added that inspiration must be supported by concrete action through policies, budgets, training, and sustainable practices to ensure that inclusivity continues beyond special events.

Concluding his speech, he congratulated SSD and SeDidik Sarawak for successfully organising Hand & Sign Day 2025 and expressed appreciation to sponsors, volunteers, teachers, sign language interpreters, parents, and the deaf community for their leadership and perseverance.“Hopefully today is not just a celebration, but a commitment to make communication truly everyone’s,” he said.

— UKASnews