Obaseki, Kukah Highlight Significance of Quality Education to Improve Devt Indices

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, His Lordship, Mathew Hassan Kukah, have identified quality education as essential in improving human and capital development indices.

Both spoke at the Maiden Edo Parents’ Summit, held in Benin City as part of the 2023 Edo Education Week in Benin City, Saturday.

In his remarks, Obaseki said parents played critical roles in sustaining achievement recorded by his administration in the education sector.

He said the educational week highlighted the achievements recorded so far by the reforms undertaken by the state government in the past five years, noting “We can appreciate how far we have gone, the progress made and what needed to be done going forward in sustaining the reforms.

Obaseki commended parents for their support, adding, “I thank the parents for their continuous support which has contributed in no little way to the success recorded so far in the reform. In the last five years, we have been able to make foundational changes. We have made teachers important, introduced technology, set up school management and got communities involved to make the reforms successful.”

According to him, the education week also focused on the last component of the reforms which is the learning standards, noting that the learning agenda has been launched which is focused on making every child a reading champion.

He said, “Every Child must learn a skill as we don’t want a situation where our children will learn without skills. The last component of the reforms is sustainability which is in the hands of stakeholders particularly parents who are critical and important to the reforms.”

On his part, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, urged parents to place a premium in educating their children in order to ensure that their legacy is remembered.

He said, “Education is important and significant because it focuses on improving great values in our children.  Education is a substitute for godfatherism and nepotism.”

The Catholic Bishop commended Governor Obaseki, noting, “We thank you for repositioning, restrategising on how the world sees Edo people through Education.

He urged parents and other critical stakeholders to collaborate with the state government in sustaining the reforms to enable the state to compete favorably in the 21st century.

“The great efforts of Governor Obaseki must be commended as he has repositioned Edo State to be able to compete favorably, efficiently and effectively in the 21st Century. The country has been faced and is still facing various forms of security challenges which are threatening the education sector.”

“As a country, we must do our best in all areas to push back those threatening the existence and success of the nation and by extension the education sector.

The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe, said the focus of the governor was to restore values in the educational sector in Edo State, adding that the Education Week was planned with series of events that will add value to the lives of the students.

According to her, the parents’ summit was held as the state government considers parents as critical stakeholders in entrenching proper values in the lives of children.

Members of the Edo State Market Women Association, the state chapters of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria, pledged to support reforms and programmes implemented by the Obaseki-led administration which has improved learning outcomes in schools.

The Leader of Edo State Market Women Association, Madam Blacky Omoregie, pledged that market women will support the efforts of Governor Obaseki’s administration to ensure that children are in school during school hours.

Speaking on behalf of the religious bodies in the state, Rev. Fr. Alfred Agbonlahor thanked the governor for the great work done in the education sector in the state, urging the parents to inculcate the reading culture into their wards.