Tag: Edo State

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has said the state government’s investment in education is aimed at tapping the transformative power of books and the knowledge economy to drive growth and development in the state.

The governor said this in commemoration of the World Book and Copyright Day, marked every April 23, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and other organs of the United Nations (UN).

The governor said the state aims to groom actors in the fast-evolving global knowledge economy by ensuring that pupils in the state are provided with the best possible education that meets the demands of the new world information and communication order.

He said the emphasis on enhancing and protecting indigenous languages in this year’s commemoration of the day aligns with the state government’s prorammes to preserve the state’s heritage and culture, through establishment of culture clubs in schools; support for cultural institutions and training of Edo language teachers for better service delivery.

According to him, “As we commemorate the World Book and Copyright Day, I want to restate the state government’s commitment to groom a generation of young people that are well fitted to the times, who will participate actively in the knowledge economy as a result of the up-to-date education they are getting through the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme.

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“At the same time, we are very mindful of the fact that much of this cannot be achieved without the transformative power of books. This is why I call for stricter measures to check piracy and reward the effort of those, who commit to writing and preserving knowledge for future generations.”

He said through the Edo-BEST programme the state government has purchased over 800,000 books and equipped teachers to deliver lessons using tech gadgets that make the teaching and learning experience in public schools more pleasurable. “It would imbue in the pupils a healthy reading culture and make them life-long learners,” he said.

Reaffirming the resolve to transform the basic education sector, he said the state government would continue to invest in the knowledge economy, deploy latest technology to boost productivity and work towards ensuring that those who produce knowledge are adequately rewarded.

According to the UN, “It was a natural choice for UNESCO’s General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.”

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has assured ample opportunity for youths in the creative industry with the Edo film and TV village as well as the Edo Innovation Hub, which are initiatives to boost productivity and meaningfully engage the state’s teeming youth population.

The governor said this in commemoration of the World Creativity and Innovation Day marked by the United Nations (UN), every April 21.

The governor said the state government was creating structures in the state to exploit the economic benefits of Nigeria’s booming creative industry and also the deployment of innovation in science and technology to change lives and solve society’s most pressing problems.

According to him, “As we mark the World Creativity and Innovation Day, the state government is assuring of its commitment to the Edo Film and Television Village, an initiative to exploit the creative energies of our youths and give them the opportunity to create wealth through their talent.”

He said that the Film and Television village will tap talents in film, television, other audiovisual products in the performing arts, new media and publishing to boost the state’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

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He added that provision for the construction of the site for the village has been made and work would soon commence in earnest, noting, “We have a rich cultural heritage in Edo and our Film and TV village will provide opportunity for our youth to tell our stories to the world, helping to preserve our culture and also contributing to our economic diversification plans.”

He said the theme of this year’s commemoration, ‘Fashion and Sustainability: Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good’ is in sync with the state’s campaign to engage every sector in contributing to economic development.

According to the UN, “the creative economy –which includes audiovisual products, design, new media, performing arts, publishing and visual arts– is a highly transformative sector of the world economy in terms of income generation, job creation and export earnings.

“Culture is an essential component of sustainable development and represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the individual and community. At the same time, creativity and culture have a significant non-monetary value that contributes to inclusive social development, to dialogue and understanding between peoples.”

Women leaders in Edo State have pledged support for the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s drive to enhace access to education for women, especially through Adult Education and Non-Formal Learning Centers, which seeks to bridge the gender gap in the state.

Speaking during the campaign to drive enrollment of females in the education centres in Ovia North East and Egor Local Government Areas, the women leaders commended Governor Obaseki for implementing the initiative to redefine the role of women in the state.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Gender Issues, Ms. Efosa Uyigue, said the Governor Obaseki-led administration will continue to support the education of the girl-child, noting, “Education is fundamental in building the character of an individual and social relationship skills that elevates society. That is what we aim to achieve.”

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Uyigue said, “I encourage women to get young females under their care, who dropped out of school, to enroll in the adult education programme, which is free. This is an opportunity for them to get educated, which will enable them seek better job opportunities or become better employers of labour.”

At the awareness campaign in Egor LGA, the chairman of the council, Hon. Eghe Ogbemudia said efforts will be made to support the effort of the state government in re-opening adult education centres for more females to get the opportunity to be educated.

“We will provide conducive learning environment in these centres to encourage more females to enroll for the programme in line with the objectives of the state government. We will also support facilitators at the centers and provide learning materials,” she said.

All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Leader in Ovia North East, Princess Faith Omoregie said, “I am excited that this is happening. I will support the chairperson to go around the area to encourage more women to be part of this laudable programme.”

A participant, Helen Omofo, noted: “The chance for teenage females who are out of school to be educated will discourage them from social vices and falling preys to human traffickers.”

Stakeholders in the education sector have commended Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki-led administration for revamping the state’s basic education sector through the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme, noting that the initiative has revolutionized the sector.

A cross-section of stakeholders, who spoke to journalists, said in the last one year, the state government has shown rare commitment to improving learning outcomes at the basic level of education resulted in the training of over 8000 teachers on the use of digital tools in primary schools across the state.

They hailed the renovation of schools across the state, noting that the governor’s sincere and systematic approach to addressing challenges in the basic education sector cannot go unnoticed.

Mrs Esther Ehiagwina, a parent with two pupils in Emotan Primary School, said the intervention of the state government has saved public education at the basic level and boosted the confidence of parents who have now returned their wards to public primary and junior secondary schools across the state.

“What I can tell you is that with all the reforms carried out by the state government, we have seen a tremendous change in teaching and learning at the schools. It has made parents like me confident in the system. After the teachers were trained and dilapidated schools repaired in my area, I had no choice but to bring back my kids to the school,” she said.

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Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie said, one year ago, Governor Obaseki initiated Edo-BEST which deployed a mix of approaches to tackle challenges facing the basic education sub-sector, noting, “The state government’s vision for sustainable development can only be achieved when children at the basic education level get the best of education in line with modern trends and global standards. This will make children learning in public schools across the state globally competitive.”

He explained, “Not less than 8,700 teachers have been trained on modern teaching techniques to improving learning outcomes in 931 schools across the state. 170,000 pupils electronic records have been created which has made it easy for parents to keep tab of the progress of their wards in schools. 20,000 new students have enrolled in public schools in the last year,” Osagie added.

He said 234 schools across the state are under renovation/construction, which is a deliberate effort by the state government to improve conducive teaching and learning environment, noting, “a School-based Management Committee (SBMC) has been constituted with 11,688 of its members trained to improve monitoring and community participation in the running of the schools. Not less than 7,094 gadgets/teaching tabs have been distributed to teachers and head teachers. While about 900,000 free textbooks in various subjects have been distributed to pupils.”

To provide needed infrastructure to fast track the development of the Benin River project and accelerate sustainable development in the state, Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has awarded a N6.8 billion contract for the dualisation of Ekehuan Road and construction of underground drainage system on Uwadiae Street.

The contract was awarded during a recent Executive Council (EXCO) meeting held before the governor proceeded on his annual leave.

The project was awarded at a cost of N6,812955739.70. On completion, it will “enhance the state government’s desire to transform Benin into a modern City and serve as a booster to the development of the Benin River Port,” a document on the contract said.

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The Benin River Port is one of the big-ticket projects of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in the state aimed to drive industrialisation and boost export earnings.

The port project, which is being developed in partnership with China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), would serve as a conduit for products to be manufactured at the Benin Industrial and Enterprise Park; Benin Auto Park; Benin Production Centers and other industrial clusters across the state. Preliminary work on the project has been completed by the Chinese Company, even as the Federal Government has approved for a Marine Police Post at the site of the port project. It will also serve as a sister port to the Lekki Deep Sea Port being developed by CHEC.

Residents in Ekehuan Road and Uwadiae commended the governor for the projects and noted that the projects would reduce traffic logjam and curb flooding.

The project follows closely behind the award of contracts for the construction of Textile Mill Road; Iyoba, Iyobanosa and Omozogie Streets; Benin-Abraka Road; St. Saviour, Oba-Obazagbon, PZ-Okabere Roads and Ugbor-Amagba Road, which was hailed by Benin City residents.