Nigeria: Lagos to introduce Chinese language in schools

[Harold Schiffman]

Lagos to introduce Chinese language in schools
• Saturday, Apr 26, 2008

The Lagos State Government said that it would introduce the teaching
and learning of Chinese language alongside French and Arabic in its
schools.

Already, the government has committed N54.3 million to the
construction of six laboratories for the teaching and learning of
French, China/Mandarin and Arabic languages. The Deputy Governor, Mrs
Adebisi Sosan, said that this had become necessary, as Chinese
language was becoming an international language alongside French,
Nigeria's second national language after English. Sosan, while
briefing newsmen on the activities of the Ministry of Education so
far, however, explained that the teaching of Chinese language had not
become a policy matter for the government.

She added that 11,460 pairs of desks and benches had been supplied to
primary and secondary schools and 3,100 sets of furniture for
principals and teachers. "Science equipment worth N256 million and
been supplied to 15 senior and 25 junior secondary schools, while the
laboratories in 10 junior secondary schools were equipped with
N134million. "The state sponsored 26 inspectors and teachers to Benin
Republic for retraining on effective teachings of French language,"
Sosan said.

She also said that government had released N185.5 million for the
payment of WAEC/SSCE fees for 61,510 SSS 111 students in public
secondary schools. "Government has also supplied 120 braille textbooks
to visually impaired students and sponsored two physically-challenged
children from special schools to the Scout Camp in the UK," she said.
She disclosed that teachers would benefit from other trances of the
N40 billion mortgage scheme initiated by the government.

Sosan also disclosed that several teachers and students from the state
public schools, who had done the state proud in the last one year,
would be celebrated on a day to be announced later. They included
Maser hennery Akahara who won the first prize at the House of Commons
parliamentary debate which featured students from 60 counties London.

http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=04/26/2008&qrTitle=Lagos%20to%20introduce%20Chinese%20language%20in%20schools&qrColumn=NATION


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