Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (Edo SUBEB) has distributed 7,000 reading glasses to parents and children in line with Governor Godwin Obaseki’s commitment to promoting human capital development and well-being through education.
The glasses distribution exercise which is being implemented in partnership with Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (EDSPHCDA) is geared at promoting reading culture and punctuality among children and parents in the basic education ecosystem.
The Executive Chairman of Edo SUBEB, Ozavize Salami emphasized that the primary objective of the exercise is to eliminate any vision-related obstacles that might hinder students’ learning progress while promoting higher enrolment and attendance rates in the first week of school.
“Part of our basic education mandate at Edo SUBEB is to ensure that all children of school-going age have access to free and compulsory education, essentially around access and quality.
“As far as EdoBEST is concerned, it is not only about ensuring that the children progress academically, it is also concerned with taking care of their well-being,” she said.
Speaking on the rationale behind targeting parents with reading glasses, Salami noted that as an important stakeholder in the basic education system, parents have a crucial role to play in increasing access to education.
She said, “The distribution exercise is part of an initiative to ensure that all children of school-going age have access to free and compulsory education by targeting a key stakeholder group – the parents.
“In carrying out this distribution exercise, the Edo State Government is acknowledging the crucial role that parents play in ensuring that all Edo children are not denied the right to quality basic education.”
Dora Obanor, a parent at Ivbiyeneva Primary School, a centre for the glasses distribution exercise in Ikpoba-Okha expressed her excitement at the impact the initiative has on improving learning.
“I am happy with this initiative. Before now, I found it difficult to help my child with her assignments as I struggled with my eyesight but now, I can help her check her assignments and be sure that she is on track academically at no cost,” she said
The free screening exercise and distribution of glasses to eligible parents and children commenced on August 23 in 54 different venues across the 18 local government areas of Edo State.
