BENIN CITY – The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Friday, graduated a new batch of about 3, 000 teachers, comprising of Progressive Primary School teachers, Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers and successful EdoSTAR Fellowship candidates, following a six-week intensive training and capacity building.
The governor, at the graduation ceremony, in Benin City, said the government will continue to prioritize the welfare of teachers in the state, ensuring that they are provided with the right skills and environment to impact Edo children.
The graduation ceremony signifies another milestone in the basic education sector transformation reform program initiated by the administration in 2018, as 231 Junior Secondary schools, 148 rural, hard to reach and riverine primary schools have now been added into the EdoBEST programme. It also marks the official commencement of the JSS disarticulation in the state.
Speaking at the event, Obaseki noted, “This ceremony today climaxes the journey which we started many months ago to recruit young, vibrant, professional, and aspiring teaching personnel into our schools across the state in response to the teacher gaps in our schools.
“Teachers remain the most valuable resource in the delivery of public service of basic education and it justifies our resolve to prioritize their recruitment, replacement and upskilling.”
He continued: “Edo teachers, through their efforts, have changed the culture in classrooms in all the local government areas and wards in the state to meet international best practices, using technology.
“Our teachers have become the bedrock of education reforms in the state as we extend this transformation to our JSS and progressive school across the state to enable the process of our basic education journey to continue in the lives of the child until the child gets to the age of 15 years.
“As a government, this is a dream come true and a promise kept. This will stimulate us to do more for our children through education in the State. This is evidence that we will do more in the state,” Obaseki noted.
The governor further stated, “The world has recognised and acknowledged our efforts in transforming education in Edo State. Through EdoSTAR, we are set to achieve several important targets, which include reenergizing and securing the future of our basic education in Edo State. This devoted set of fellows will form a formidable part of the teacher workforce after the three-year fellowship programme.”
The governor urged the EdoSTAR teachers to put in their best and work hard, adding that only those who prove themselves worthy in these three years will be qualified for full-time employment in the state’s teaching service.
He said, “Edo teachers know more on how to use technology than the children they teach. Never again in our history shall we employ an untrained teacher in the state. The best from this set of fellows will be employed as teachers in the system to strengthen the education system.
“As Edo people, we have a culture of education and as such, we want to have the best of education. We want to ensure that any child that passes through our system is set for life.”
Earlier, the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Universal Education Board, Mrs. Eyita Ozavize Salami, said the event is another milestone in the implementation of the EdoBEST 2.0.
She noted, “The governor has maintained that no society can progress without education. He is committed to ensuring that Edo children get quality education, no matter where they are located.”
Salami said the governor has approved employment letters, as well as stipends and salaries of all categories of all employed teachers in the state.
