Education is one of the best legacy parents and guardian can bequeath to their children or ward which will enable them face the challenges of the future especially now that coronavirus disease is ravaging the globe and has brought it to its knees.
Aside parents and guardian struggling to provide good education for their wards, the responsibility of ensuring a quality and affordable education rest on the shoulders of the Government (Fed., State or Local Government) as private owners, individuals and Organizations uses such medium to exploit the people.
To ensure the people are protected against such exploitation, a responsible Government will embark on affordable, quality and qualitative education for its citizens ensuring their future is protected and guaranteed.
Edo State Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki ran such responsible government in the last four years transforming the education sector, focusing on basic education.
The whole journey for the transformation of Basic Education repositioning started with a workshop held on the 24th through 26th of February 2017 where stakeholders gathered to brainstorm on the way forward for education in Edo State. Five months later, the State hosted a Basic Education Stakeholders’ Forum in July 2017.
Subsequently, a technical team was constituted to design the framework for reform of the Basic Education subsector which led to the birth of Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) in 2018.
To achieve the dream of transforming basic education, governor Obaseki sourced for a pragmatic, formidable and dynamic leader in person of Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe to ran with EdoBEST’s vision, and she has done it well for three years now.
Festival Hall in Government House venue for the Celebration of the third year anniversary of EDOBEST was packed full with pupils from various schools across the State, teachers, parents and stakeholders in the education Sector were on ground to celebrate the achievement of Godwin Obaseki’s led administration.
The programme proper started with the arrival of Governor Godwin Obaseki who was physically delighted and greatly cheered by the pupils, teachers, parents and other dignitaries present to grace the occasion.
To show the progress and impact made so far in the lives of Edo children, they were allowed to participate in most of the activities for the day. A pupil of Iguodala Primary School, Stephanie Osewengie delivered the welcomed address at the occasion, commending Governor Obaseki for improving the standard of education in the State, especially the basic education.
Other activities which the children participated in includes poems, special rendition, cultural displayed, panel discussion and the likes, the performance of the children truly proved the success of EdoBEST story.
Following the success story of the programme, governor Obaseki addressing the audience used the opportunity to launch and expands EdoBEST programme to capture secondary schools and tertiary institutions in the State.
Obaseki, who expanded the programme to EdoBEST 2.0, said the expansion became necessary to ensure that secondary schools and tertiary institutions benefits from the gains in digital teaching recorded in primary schools through the programme.
“As far as we are concerned in the state, the EdoBEST programme is one of our greatest achievements. We are very happy that EdoBEST has gained global and local recognition. We want to replicate the successes and achievements that we have made in EdoBEST to EdoBEST 2.0, which is meant to capture our secondary schools and higher institutions in our dear state.
“Our kids are now learning better; their level is about 70 per cent of their colleagues in Europe and Asia. They are far from where their colleagues in Nigeria are; that’s not the standard. We want to be at 100 per cent: We want to extend this education transformation throughout the educational chain; basic education system, middle school, technical colleges and tertiary institutions”.
Obaseki further assured that his administration would make tertiary institutions in the state competitive globally, adding, “our education system must deliberately work on our national values.”
The Governor Commended the Executive Chairman Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (Edo-SUBEB), Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe, for ensuring the success of the initiative, Obaseki noted: “I don’t see how EdoBEST would have been successful if not for the person of Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe and her team.
“You have helped us build these children to primary six level, now, what is next? So, today we are going to unveil the EdoBEST 2.0, as a way to ensure that the gains of learning at the basic education level is sustained after the first six years.
Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe the Executive Chairman of SUBEB has been in charge of EDOBEST since the programme was established in 2018, and it has been one success story to another. She has brought several innovations never seen in the State before which led to about 21,000 children from private schools crossing to the public schools putting the percentage at 17, a feat that, was never achieved before as reverse has always been the case in terms of enrollment.
Oviawe said teachers attendance in the State is 91 per cent now, lessons completion rate as at today is 81 per cent and the focus is to achieve 100 per cent and perfection.
“The COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t stop the progress of EdoBEST as teachers created over 7,000 visual classrooms to enable pupils continue with their learning, as contents were uploaded on our site to ensure continuity, despite global shutdown by COVID-19,”
Dr. Osa-Oviawe said when the programme was started a lot of pupils sat on the ground and even some seat on chairs with their feet dangling preventing free circulation of blood properly. She noted that this prompted the redesigning of the furniture systems in Edo schools and the launch of “No Child on the floor Campaign”.
“We have provided furniture for 40,000 pupils in our schools and by the end of next year every child on the ground would have been given a seat to seat on. We have made progress, massive transformation in our school system. People all over the globe are describing the success and silent achievement of the Obaseki’s administration in the area of education as a miracle”.
An Education Stakeholders and a teacher of many years Mrs Julie Odigie Oyegun who delivered a commentary on education, appreciating EdoBEST initiative commended Obaseki for his fore sight of transforming the education Sector in Edo State.
“Now we have leadership in the State in person of the Governor and the Chairman of SUBEB for reorganizing the education system laying more emphasis on teaching and learning for Edo children. We must learn how to work together”.
There were goodwill messages across the globe pointing to the success story and achievement recorded by the Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe led board using EdoBEST.
