BENIN CITY ––Edo State Governor, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor yesterday in Benin City swore in a nine-member state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), with great expectation for excellent performance from the board which should ensure harmonious working relationship with the Ministry of Education.

The new board, which has Prof. (Mrs.) Philomena Ejele, as chairman and Mr. Hilary Otsu, Mr. Stanley Iduoze and Chief Mathew Enohunmah as members also has as statutory members, Mr. O. O. N. Bello of the Ministry of Basic Education, Mr. A. E. Izebhijie representative of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Mrs. A. Egbon, Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Mrs. Isoken Iyonmana Okwechime, Women’s Group and Mr. S. K. Momodu who is the secretary to the Board.

The Governor enumerated the functions of the SUBEB to include, advising the state government on the funding and orderly development of basic education advising the UBE commission on possible intervention by the commission in the provision of basic facilities to primary and junior secondary schools, undertaking new capital projects after due consultation with the Ministry of Basic Education receiving grants from UBEC of the Federal Government in accordance with the formula as approved by the Federal Executive Council, as well as recruitment, appointment, promotion and discipline of teaching and non-teaching staff on grade level 07 and above in the state UBE programme and posting and deployment of staff, training and retraining of teaching sand non-teaching staff among others.

While stressing that the membership of the board was carefully considered and the task ahead of it was daunting, Prof. Osunbor said government expected the board to work at a very fast pace for his administration was “in a hurry to develop and cover lost ground from years of avoidable waste by past administration”.

He explained that N30 million was released for payment of enrolment fees for the first school leaving certificate examination for pupils in public primary schools just as N35 million was released for the conduct of Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination for students in public junior secondary schools just as primary and junior secondary schools are being subverted to the tune of N6.5 million monthly for the provision of instructional materials among others.

While congratulating the chairman and members of SUBEB, the governor urged the people of the state to keep faith with his administration in its developmental drive to take the state to greater heights.

Responding on behalf of other members, the chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof. (Mrs.) Ejele thanked the governor for the trust reposed in them by the appointment.

Beside noting that primary education was the bedrock of education, she send the members shared the dream of the governor in taking education to greater heights in the state and promised that they would do their best to attain same.