From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Bayelsa State Ministry of Education has agreed to adopt Tourism as a subject in schools in order to expose Learners to alternative pathways that would help create entrepreneurial opportunities.Commissioner of Education, Dr. Gentle Emela who gave the hint when his counterpart from the State Ministry of Tourism Development, Hon.

John Alla presented a copy of the national curriculum for tourism studies in secondary schools along with textbook to him in his office in Yenagoa last Thursday, said the decision to introduce Tourism into school curriculum, was meant to address the lack of skills which has become as a barrier to accessing business and job opportunities in the tourism industry. Emela maintained that the introduction of Tourism in secondary schools in the state would further address socio-economic imbalances, poverty and other socio-economic inequalities in communities.He said the introduction of Tourism would afford learners opportunities to develop vocational skills required in the tourism sector and encourage students to explore entrepreneurial and job opportunities that abound in the sector.While commending the Commissioner for Tourism Development for being proactive in proposing the introduction of tourism into the secondary school curriculum as part of measures to provide young people with alternative career pathways, Emela also applauded Governor Douye Diri for appointing someone with great passion for tourism as Commissioner, saying that the prosperity administration’s focus on tourism was the stimulus that informed the decision to introduce Tourism into the secondary school curriculum in the state.Earlier, the visiting Commissioner for Tourism Development, John Alla had stressed the urgent need to give tourism training the desired attention, pointing out that the inclusion of Tourism as a curricular subject in secondary schools in the state properly aligns with the prosperity administration’s inclusive governance that lays much emphasis on poverty alleviation.Alla maintained that one way to achieve this aim was the early introduction of Tourism into the senior secondary school curriculum in the state with a view to developing vocational skills needed to further improve and support the tourism industry in the state.”Introducing Tourism into the Senior Secondary School Curriculum is meant to develop skills, creating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for young people to address the high rates of unemployment among the youth and poverty in families. The teaching of tourism in our senior secondary schools is extremely important, especially in Bayelsa which is characterised by many tourist attractions which could be promoted to open up opportunities for the youth to venture into small and medium scale tourism businesses.”My mission here is to seek your collaboration in the promotion of tourism education through the introduction of tourism into the senior secondary school curriculum as part of measures to equip our students with the relevant skills, knowledge, and industry connections that would ultimately contribute to the growth and development of the tourism sector in Bayelsa State.”Collaborating with your ministry is crucial to my ministry’s holistic tourism development drive. Incorporating tourism education into the senior secondary school curriculum would inspire and prepare the next generation of our youths to become tourism professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the industry.”The teaching of tourism as a subject in our senior secondary schools is necessary for several reasons as tourism education would broaden the students’ understanding of various cultures, geography, and global issues. It will introduce students to career opportunities in tourism, hospitality, and related fields, enhancing their skills in areas like hospitality, customer service, and entrepreneurship”It will also familiarise students with the tourism industry’s structure, operations, and trends, ensuring that sustainable tourism practices are integrated into education and training programmes, creating awareness among students, educators, and the general public.”It is against this background that I would like to humbly present a copy of the national curriculum for the teaching of tourism from the Federal Ministry of Education as a key subject in senior secondary schools in Bayelsa State along with a copy of a textbook approved by the Federal Ministry of Education for the purpose,” Hon. Alla said.