The Edo State Government will commence the training of teachers who will be hired to teach Edo Language as well as its history in public schools in the state from August this year.

Governor Godwin Obaseki announced this when he received the report of the selected academics in Edo/Benin History from the University of Benin and other universities at Government House in Benin today.

Obaseki said it was imperative that the state, as an ethnic group has a common language that will be used as a means of communication.

He commended his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for initiating the teaching of Edo Language in schools, adding that the Oba of Benin’s Palace was in support of the initiative.

Obaseki said the teachers, after their training would be deployed to selected public schools in the state. He added that a linguistic laboratory would be built in the proposed Tayo Akpata University of Education in the state to support the initiative while teachers would be motivated to learn and teach the language.

“We will invest in the training of teachers to teach the language and we will motivate them to do so because they will teach the language alongside other subjects,” Obaseki said. He urged parents to encourage their children especially those in secondary school to take interest in learning the language.

He commended members of the committee for their recommendations and said that they were the right set of persons for the job.

Earlier, Professor Victor Omozuwa, who led other members at the report presentation ceremony, said the committee was set up on June 5, this year, to find out ways of reviving the teaching and learning of Edo language in the state.

He listed the recommendations of the committee as: Training and recruitment of teachers to teach the language and to commence teaching of the language in Edo South Senatorial District; motivation of students studying the language in institutions of higher learning by providing them with employment after graduation; massive public enlightenment programme, organisation of essay and drama competitions in Edo language sponsored by the state government and provision of scholarships to students who want to study the language in the university amongst others.

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