Vision
Effective teaching and care of deaf and hearing impaired students.
Mission
To equip deaf and hearing impaired students with knowledge, skills and values which they need to live full lives as responsible citizens.
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Personnel News 2010
Hostels
De la Bat School has the following hostels on campus:
Photos of our Hostels
History
Founding: The “Deaf-mute and Blind” – Institute was founded in 1881 by the Dutch Reformed Church. Learner numbers grew to such an extend that the division for the Deaf separated from that for the Blind in 1905. Dr B.J.G. De la Bat was the first head of the School for the Deaf. This was the name of the school until 1981 with the centennial celebrations when the name changed to De la Bat School.
The school is subsidised by the Government, but private and corporate funding is much needed to deliver quality services to the ±170 Deaf learners.
Deaf children can be admitted from the age of 3 years old and they leave school at the age of 18 years or even older (in order to finish the course they are following). About 85% of children live on campus in 7 hostels (according to gender and age group). Most parents live far away, from 120 km up to 1000 km.
South African Sign Language is regarded as the first language, with English or Afrikaans as the second language for reading and writing.
In the long history of De la Bat School there have only been 6 principals so far:
School Anthem
The school anthem was composed by Dirk de Villiers (1983), the then retired head of music of the Free State education Department. The words were written by his wife, Doll. In 1999 Ernest Kleinschmidt translated the anthem into South African Sign Language.
There’s a school that was willed by God
To break open the silence.
Let this school give us the freedom
To break down the boundaries.
Oh happy days of fulfillment,
Of finding the meaning of the word, the speech,
the knowledge.
Let’s keep on conquering worlds!
Let’s keep on conquering worlds!
Where the beauty of valley and mountains
Surrounds and welcomes us all,
We find joy in the endurance
And winning remains our goal.
Therefore we now bring a tribute
To a school that we cherish;
Calling out with joy : EFFATHA
For the day starting here now!
For the day starting here now!
