Defying the odds: How St. Filippo Smaldone students are excelling in STEM

As soon as you enter Groupe Scolaire Institute Filippo Smaldone in Nyamirambo, you are welcomed by cheerful and exuberant young students, who not only display a high degree of discipline but also embody defiance and resilience. But this is not your ordinary school, and nor are they your ordinary students. St. Filippo Smaldone stands out as one of the best schools in the country, educating and training deaf students, equipping them with skills to thrive in life just like other children. When we arrived at the school, located in Nyamirambo, Nyarugenge District, just past St. Andre and the Commercial Court – we found the students busy preparing for the finale of the third edition of the First Lego League (FLL). This annual challenge encourages students to learn, innovate, and think like engineers by designing, building, and coding robots to perform tasks. Groupe Scolaire Officiel de Butare claimed the national championship title in the FLL, and Ecole des Sciences Byimana won the AI Hackathon challenge at the grand finale held on March 2, at Intare Conference Arena, Rusororo. St. Filippo Smaldone’s deaf students took the Robot Design award, while their teacher, Jean-Paul Rukema, received the Mentor Award during the awards ceremony. ALSO READ: Photos: Kagame awards students with best robotics, AI projects For many years, the school – which is managed by nuns under the Roman Catholic Church, has become a beacon of education for children with special needs, particularly the deaf. However, to ensure inclusiveness, children without disabilities also study at the school. The young deaf students at the school, founded by Italian missionary St. Filippo Smaldone more than 100 years ago, embody the saying that disability is not inability. They do just about everything able-bodied students do – sometimes even better. During our visit, the children with hearing impairment won a basketball game against those without. They can dance, they can design, they can draw, and now they are proving they can compete in new areas, such as robotics. ALSO READ: Disability is not inability, visually impaired painter Uwukunda attests This is no ordinary feat. Traditionally, in Rwanda and in many African countries – when a child is born deaf or becomes deaf later in life due to a certain condition, chances are they would not be treated like other children. ALSO READ: Five challenges that people with disabilities need addressed Often, they would miss out on opportunities such as education and endure stigma. A lack of special needs education and trained sign language educators compounded their challenges, leaving them isolated and dejected, sometimes for life. From childhood, a deaf person would often be called ‘Igipfamatwi’ and other demeaning names. Because many deaf people choose not to use their voices, they would also be called names like ‘Ikiragi’ and others, which left them feeling dejected and stigmatised. This is one of the reasons St. Filippo Smaldone set out to establish schools for deaf children a century ago, starting in his native Italy. In Rwanda, the school, managed by the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, was established in 1992. Able like others The students here are brilliant and prove that disability does not hinder potential. Speaking through a sign language interpreter, Shakillah Uwera, 20, currently in senior two, and one of the students participating in the First Lego League Challenge, says that for them, it is much more than a competition. “It’s an opportunity to show that we can and that we are able, sending a message to those who think that when a child is born deaf, their life ends there.” “Previously, we weren’t given the opportunity to compete in competitions like FLL, but now here we are. We’ve gained a lot from this competition. It has equipped us with problem-solving and research skills, which will benefit us in the future,” Uwera says. “It has made us more interested in science and robotics. We’ve been able to learn and share knowledge, and it has taught us teamwork. But most importantly, it has given us an opportunity to show that we are able, just like anybody else,” she notes. Uwera is confident that they can excel at the national level and go on to represent the country globally, as well as play a role in developing their country. She became deaf at the age of six due to a health condition. Her parents sought treatment for her, but it was impossible to save her hearing. As a young girl, it affected her in many ways, including holding back her growth and development. It also impacted her education. It meant she had to learn sign language, which was taught in English – a foreign language she also had to learn to cope with. Fortunately, she was admitted to the school, which trained and honed her skills. Daring to dream Today, Uwera hopes to represent the country in FLL, and believes that all children with disabilities are just as skilled and competent as anyone else, and deserve an opportunity. Despite some challenges, Uwera hopes to become a doctor or journalist in the future and says children like her deserve to pursue their education and careers, instead of being isolated. Olivier Nkurunziza was part of the team that participated in the recently concluded First Lego League challenge, and was excited to demonstrate that, despite his disability, one can achieve their dreams. The 19-year-old, born in Karongi District and an only child, displays high levels of enthusiasm and will not be deterred by hearing impairment or other challenges that come with it. He joined the school after his primary education, and despite several obstacles, remains determined to push forward until he achieves his goals. “One of the challenges we face is that it takes longer to study a subject through sign language than it does for other students, which makes our learning difficult,” Nkurunziza says when asked about the challenges they face. He pointed out that it has been their biggest challenge participating in FLL, because they need to set aside time to practice, yet at the same time, they have academic milestones to meet, meaning they spend more time in class. “Time is a serious challenge. We don’t have enough time to practice,” he says, adding that they intend to continue and compete to prove to the world that they have the skills. Nkurunziza was tasked with building the prototype and robot attachment for their innovations in the competition. It was challenging, given the time constraints, but together with his team – they managed to create it, and he is confident they will win. “At first, I was scared and challenged, but when we got into it, we adapted and became more confident. I am confident that we will win,” he says, like Uwera, adding that participating in the competition has equipped them with problem-solving skills that can be applied to other areas of life. Nkurunziza hopes to become an engineer who will innovate and build the country. And, wait for it – he plans to develop a submarine. Taking their chance He is thankful that FLL considered them, as students with disabilities are often excluded from competitions, yet they have the skills and talent. He points to the basketball game earlier, where they beat students without hearing impairment. In a game, they communicate among themselves and play as a team. They participate in music competitions, despite not being able to hear the music. Impressively, to dance, they follow the drumbeat – which they feel through their hearts. It is a spectacle to watch them dance. Both Nkurunziza and Uwera say they always feel bad when they are left out of national-level competitions, despite their talent. This is the first time they are participating in FLL, which is in its third edition. “Whenever we get a chance to be invited to competitions, we perform well, and people are surprised. We are capable, just like everyone else,” Nkurunziza, who wants to be an advocate for inclusiveness, says. He calls on the government to create public sign language awareness programmes to teach people basic sign language or encourage those without hearing impairments to learn it, in order to have a more inclusive society. Nkurunziza believes that while they know sign language, it is still difficult for them because most Rwandans do not know it. Basically, we speak to ourselves, not the rest of us, he says. He hopes the world would be a better place if everyone knew a little sign language. “So, we are here. I met you today, but if I said hello to you through sign language, we would not understand each other,” Nkurunziza says through a sign language interpreter. In the past, public campaigns have been pushed by the National Council of Persons with Disabilities, including TV and social media campaigns where senior officials and celebrities appeared in videos using sign language, but still many Rwandans don’t understand it. His wish is for people to take the initiative to learn it and, at the same time, to consider deaf people part of the team, rather than isolating them. For Nkurunziza, being disabled is no reason to give up on life. A call to action Sr. Marie-Jeanne Uwayisaba, the principal of the school, says they currently have 210 students with hearing impairments or who are hard of hearing, eight of whom are day scholars; the rest are boarders. “Currently, the biggest challenge we have is that children are yet to master sign language. Yes, we have a period where we teach sign language, but because we are always changing, admitting new students – you find that they cannot be at the same level of understanding as their peers,” Uwayisaba, a Salesian nun, says. Uwayisaba believes the government should consider treating sign language like other subjects in schools, so that even children without disabilities can learn it from early on, fostering collaboration with those who have disabilities. She believes this would enhance education outcomes. Uwayisaba notes that the other challenge they face is that the syllabus and curriculum are prepared for able-bodied children, making it difficult for children with special needs. “You find that most subjects are more theoretical rather than practical, which complicates how they study. Yet when they are engaged in practical exercises, they perform well, as we’ve seen in the FLL competition,” Uwayisaba observes. She says that while there is no shortage of teachers, the challenge remains the limited capacity to teach using sign language, and more training is needed to hone their skills, as well as to equip them with digital tools. “Sometimes you find that a school has smartboards, but some teachers do not use them as they should because they don’t know how to,” Uwayisaba says, adding that integrating more digital tools would improve how they learn. She also adds that giving them opportunities to participate in competitions would help unleash their full potential, as they have shown in the FLL competition this year.

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Defying the odds: How St. Filippo Smaldone students are excelling in STEM