The Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation launched the “GEG Sign Bilingualism Co-enrolment Pilot Scheme” in 2018.  Under the Scheme, one teacher and a deaf teaching assistant co-teach using both spoken and sign languages in the inclusive classroom, with hearing-impaired children attending class together with other hearing children.  The first cohort of both hearing and hearing-impaired students from the sign-bilingualism class in Colégio Diocesano de São José (5ª) had graduated from kindergarten in July 2021., b The Scheme has been well recognized by parents and teacher; not only are hearing-impaired students benefiting from the scheme with the use of signed and spoken language in class, parents of hearing children in particular found their children developing a greater empathy for others as a result.  Colégio Diocesano de São José (5ª) actively provides teachers with professional development training, including sign language training, optimizing teaching strategies, and strengthening visual aids etc., in order to meet the learning needs of students in the inclusive classroom.

Not only are hearing-impaired students direct beneficiaries of the GEG Sign Bilingualism Co-enrolment Pilot Scheme, so are teaching assistants in the inclusive classrooms.  These teaching assistants are deaf adults fluent in sign language; not only are they able to enhance the learning process of hearing-impaired students, they are instrumental in optimizing the “bilingual” education process through working closely with the class teacher.  As importantly, these inclusive classrooms represent a new employment opportunity for the deaf community as they pursue advanced studies in sign language teaching and kindergarten education, with the hope they may eventually qualify as teachers in schools offering sign bilingualism education.

In 2018, the Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation launched the “GEG Sign Bilingualism Co-enrolment Pilot Scheme” in one kindergarten and one nursery in Macau.  Under the Scheme, one teacher and a deaf teaching assistant co-teach using both spoken and sign languages in the inclusive classroom, with hearing-impaired children attending class together with other hearing children.  The Scheme expects to help build a solid language foundation for hearing-impaired students through the simultaneous use of sign and spoken languages, enhancing their overall literacy and language abilities.  Hearing children attending the classes are also expected to benefit from the practice, as their language development will be enhanced through exposure to sign language.  In addition, the Scheme believes that this learning environment can also cultivate the students’ empathy for the less fortunate.

In order to support teachers and their deaf teaching assistant to co-teach in the “GEG Sign Bilingualism Co-enrolment Pilot Scheme”, the Chinese University of Hong Kong offers sign language training to these teachers, and visits the school regularly to closely monitor the project’s progress and provide ongoing training and advice to teachers and school administrators.  With the participation of the Catholic Diocese of Macau, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Social Welfare Bureau and the Labour Department in the pilot, the Scheme hopes that its positive result will eventually be fully recognised and supported by the government, enabling the Scheme to continue its implementation as these students progress through their academic careers.