Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is calling for a legislative inquiry on the status of the use Filipino sign language (FSL) as a language of instruction for the deaf under the under the K to 12 basic education system.

The chairman of the Senate basic education committee filed a resolution for this purpose as he stressed the challenges faced by learners and teachers with disabilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic..

He want to identify gaps and issues in the use of FSL in schools as mandated by Republic Act No. 11106 or the Filipino Sign Language Act of 2018, which declared the FSL as the country’s national sign language.

In a statement, Gatchalian said the law’s implementation "has been neglected, continuously causing communication, information, and institutional barriers in deaf education."

He cited for instance the insufficient training of teachers, the non-promotion of the licensing and mobilization of deaf teachers, and the lack of materials.

Such challenges were amplified by the distance learning set up during the pandemic, he said.

The lawmaker also pointed to the barrier facing deaf teachers since the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) does not match their competencies.

Because of this, deaf graduates end up as tutors with low-paying jobs instead of entering the educational system, he lamented.

“Noong isabatas ang Filipino Sign Language Act, sinikap nating maging mas madali para sa ating mga deaf learners at teachers ang makilahok sa sistema ng ating edukasyon, ngunit hanggang ngayon ay marami pa rin sa kanila ang nahihirapan (When we passed the FSL Act, we made sure to make access to education easier for deaf learners and teachers, but many of them are still finding it difficult)," Gatchalian said.

"Susuriin nating mabuti kung paano matutugunan ang mga suliraning ito upang hindi mapag-iwanan ang ating mga deaf learners at teachers (We will review carefully how to address these challenges so we our deaf learners and teachers will not be left behind)," he added.

Data from the Department of Education (DepEd) stated that from school year 2016 to 2017, there were 2,885 Special Education Teachers teaching 13,365 learners with diagnosed hearing impairment under K to 12, Gatchalian noted.