The government of the newly founded African nation of South Sudan will phase out teaching Arabic in its schools, in favor of English.

Under a bill the parliament passed this week, all courses will be taught in English. Arabic will be offered only as another subject, along with such traditional subjects as math and science.

The South Sudan government says the Arabic language requirement had been forced on the schools when the country was part of Sudan.

South Sudan declared independence from Muslim-majority Sudan in July. An independence referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of a north-south civil war.

But tensions still remain between the two regions over such still unsettled issues as how to share oil revenue.