The Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in Edo State is changing the face of education in the state with the reforms implemented through the Edo State Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST), efforts to strengthen the state’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), including the recruitment of new teachers and tertiary education overhaul.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, in a statement, said the state government has pursued a wholistic strategy to revamping the education sector in the last three years and seven months that has seen to the development of the critical sectors of the education sector.
According to him, “We have ensured that there is harmony between government and teachers through a well-intentioned programme to build their capacities to respond to the challenges of the 21st century.
“Edo State has become the cynosure of all eyes when it comes to digitalising public education. We achieved this through the Edo-BEST programme implemented by the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). Through the programme, not less than 11,000 teachers have been trained; over 1,200,000 books distributed; over 11000 computer tablets distributed, all of which are benefiting over 250,000 pupils across schools in the state.”
He added that the state has recruited and inducted 104 newly recruited teachers to drive ongoing reforms in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sub-sector in the state.
He noted that the new teachers are to support the vision of the Governor’s vision to reposition science and vocational training in the state.
While some of the teachers have been deployed to the newly revamped Government Science and Technical College (GSTC), formerly Benin Technical College (BTC), others would teach science and technical education at former St. Kizito Secondary, Egwuaholor, which has been converted to a technical school.