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xNDCS release ‘Close the Gap’ report
Date: 30th April 2014
Category:
Education, Leisure and Cultural Activities
New research published by the National Deaf Children's Society highlights that deaf young people in Scotland are regularly falling behind at school and missing out on higher education and employment opportunities.
The Close the Gap report was launched at an inspiring and thought-provoking event on 30th April 2014, where there was the opportunity to engage with key national and local stakeholders and meet deaf young people to listen to their experiences.
The report outlines the need to improve education and employment outcomes for deaf young people in Scotland, and calls on the Scottish Government to urgently address the following issues:
- Almost 10% of deaf young people leave school with no qualifications;
- Only a third of deaf young people qualifying for Higher Education;
- Only a quarter of deaf young people entering Higher Education;
- A quarter of school leavers moving into employment but only one sixth of deaf young people doing the same.
Download the Close the Gap report here.
Why do we need to Close the Gap for deaf young people, and how can we do it?
Children's rights
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) outlines the right of all children and young people to an education alongside encouragement of developing different forms of secondary education, including general and vocational education and ensuring that these are available and accessible to every child (Article 28). The UNCRC requires State parties to make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity by every appropriate means. It obliges Governments to ensure that a disabled children has effective access to and receives education, training and preparation for employment, in a manner conducive to the child's achieving the fullest possible social integration and individual development (Article 23 and 28). Article 2 of the UNCRC is clear that the above rights and all of those included in the Convention shall be respected and ensured to each child without discrimination of any kind.