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by pltm
(PLTM) - Mandarin and French will be introduced in all primary and secondary schools curriculum. Hon. Myron Walwyn, Minister of Education and Culture made this announcement in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, March 1.
The Education Minister said that they will first be implementing a pilot programme in September.
He later explained that foreign language has to be compulsory and students must have at least one foreign language when graduating.
Hon. Walwyn recently met with Mr. Wang Yongli, the Minister Counsellor for Education at the Chinese Embassy in London to seek the necessary assistance.
"I gave a mandate to the CEO (Chief Education Officer) that by September of this year, we must have French and Mandarin in the school system in the Virgin Islands. We are going to be piloting them at two schools; one primary and one secondary, and see how it goes," he said.
The Chinese have also agreed to send two teachers to the BVI to render assistance.
"It is good to talk to some people and so we got a contract back that I have to look at and discuss with the Premier---that they are willing now to send us two teachers versed in Mandarin and they are paying the teachers," he said.
"We just have to do the accommodations and so on, but we expect by September to have French and Mandarin in the schools," the Minister said.
Hon. Walwyn stated that they have to make it mandatory in order for the students to take the subjects seriously.
"In years to come we cannot have people graduating from our secondary schools who don’t know a second language."
He said, "We are too involved in tourism and financial services to be speaking one language, and you have to make it mandatory or else the students will not take it seriously."
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