Bayelsa State Government is set to prioritize the teaching and learning of Ijaw, French and Chinese languages in public schools.
The state’s Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made the disclosure on Thursday, January 25, in Yenagoa.
He said government was emphasising the teaching of the three languages, and the core science subjects, including mathematics, to prepare and equip children to take advantage of career opportunities in the subjects.
According to him, the growing economic influence of China in global affairs as a major state actor in world trade and commerce, justified the inclusion of Chinese as a subject in the school curriculum.
“We have made it compulsory; we are pursuing STEM because we believe that with that, the negative impression of Bayelsa State would change sooner or later.
In our teachers’ recruitment we deliberately laid emphasis on science, ICT and mathematics. We are recruiting more teachers in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, agricultural science and computer science.
The other subjects we are placing priority on are Chinese, French and Ijaw languages,” he said.
