Obaseki deepens basic education reform, unveils 7,000 newly trained digital teachers

To consolidate on the gains recorded in the basic education sub-sector in Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki will on October 6 unveil 7,000 newly trained digital teachers in the teachers’ professional development programme of the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) initiative. 

Executive Chair Designate, Edo State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB) and Special Adviser to the governor on Basic Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists, said that the government is advancing rapidly with its reform of the basic education sub-sector. 

According to Dr. Osa Oviawe, “The graduation ceremony which will hold at the University of Benin Sports Complex, Benin City, is an opportunity to highlight the governor’s vision to re-enact basic education in Edo State through the Edo-BEST programme.”

 She explained that “since the launch of Edo-BEST Programme in April, 2018, no fewer than 7000 head teachers and teachers have moved from analogue to digital teaching, using tablets and smart phones. 612 public primary schools have been captured in the programme, with over 150,000 pupils billed to benefit. In addition, over 800,000 textbooks are being deployed across the 612 schools currently.”

The graduation ceremony she added, will hold at the University of Benin Sports Complex, Benin City. 

She further said that the ceremony was planned to coincide with the International Teachers day, on October 5, and would serve as a means to join teachers across the world in celebrating the contribution of teachers to development and also acknowledge the place of technology in the classroom of tomorrow.

 Recall that Governor Godwin Obaseki in April launched the Edo-BEST programme, where 2, 000 teachers were unveiled after participating in the pilot phase of the programme. 

An initiative of the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration, Edo-BEST is aimed at developing a highly-skilled teaching workforce by training, supporting and motivating Edo State teachers to succeed in the classroom of tomorrow and enhance the Edo State Basic Education curriculum thereby empowering children to compete effectively in the world of work. 

The programme is already transforming the basic education delivery systems in Edo State, by leveraging technology in education provision and utilising accurate and timely data to drive policy and planning decisions.