The Bayelsa State government has offered employment to 12 teachers who graduated in “special needs” education from Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.

Governor Douye Diri said this when he received the graduates at the Government House on Tuesday in Yenagoa.

The Commissioner for Education, Gentle Emelah, and the Education Development Trust Fund (EDTF) executive secretary, Alice Atuwo, led the delegation.

Mr Diri told the delegation that his administration would continue to train teachers for special needs children in the education sector.

“I am satisfied with our investment in the training of the special needs teachers, who will, in turn, impart the knowledge gained on children with impairment in the state,” he said.

The governor said there would be immediate employment for the teachers since they were the first to be trained in the sector.

He expressed the hope that they would contribute their quota to the state’s education development.

Mr Diri commended the EDTF executive secretary and board members for the laudable scheme he inherited from the immediate past administration.

He stated, “Having certified the requirements to be teachers in our special education sector, I hereby direct the Ministry of Education to employ all 12 of you.

“Also, the school for special needs students will continue to enjoy the free tuition, free feeding, and free uniforms policy that is already in place at all of our science and technical colleges across the state, as well as our model schools.”

Ms Atuwo, in her remarks, said the board enrolled 15 teachers of Bayelsa State origin for the training, but only 12 have graduated.

She stated that following the training, which lasted five years, the state now had its trained teachers in its special needs schools.

(NAN)