 The heartbeat of the nation, Edo State is presently witnessing a new revolution in education as the neglected sector has started to wear a new look.
Education is the only legacy we can leave for our children as the youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Hence the Osunbor government in the last seventeen months had placed premium in rehabilitating schools and putting our students in high pedestal above their mates in other states.
At the moment, ten public schools have been renovated and constructed across the state. Over the years, there had been a dearth of teachers in the public school system. This problem is now been addressed with the gradual, but systematic employment of qualified teachers into the public school system.
In addition, youth corp. members posted to the state are been engaged and posted to public schools, in rural communities under a special scheme. Salaries and allowances of all categories of staff teaching and non-teaching are being paid as and when due.
As part of the administration’s efforts to promote and enhance functional and qualitative education in the public school system, government had undertaken the payment of examination fees for all pupils and students writing the final 2008 Primary School Leaving Certificate and the Junior School Certificate Examinations across the state and it cost over N200 million.
The Governor, Senator Osunbor approved the sum of N6.5 million as monthly subvention to public Primary and Junior Secondary Schools across the state. There has also been a deployment of Information and Communication Technology at ensuring effective service delivery.
The government procured 18 brand new computer sets and accessories on staff welfare, the government has demonstrated a strong commitment to the training and re-training of its workforce.
For instance, the state government sponsored some teachers to the capacity Training Workshop for Science Teachers. On higher education, rehabilitation and provision of infrastructure in higher educational centres had since taken off.
The projects executed by the government include, renovation of schools, construction of male and female hostels of 74 rooms at the Edo State Institute of Technology and Management of Usen.
In addition to the increase from N15 million to N20 million to its monthly subvention, the College of Education, Ekiadolor benefited from a new contract award of N20 million for the equipping of the science laboratories.
The Post-Primary Education Board formally handed over the management of 347 Junior Secondary Schools to the State Universal Basic Education Board in line with the UBE Programme.
The ministry facilitated the award of scholarship to 50 university students of Edo State origin by Intercontinental Bank Plc.
About 787 teaching and non-teaching staff of the Board of Post Primary Education Board benefited from the loans to the tune of N510 million out of N1 billion approved by Finbank Plc.
The Governor, Senator Osunbor said that it was an indication of the enormous importance placed by the administration on education which was one of the instruments for social and economic development in any community. He has assured that the maintenance and improvement of the welfare of workers in the educational sector and indeed the entire workforce in the state will continue to remain at the top of “my priorities”.
He added that on assumption of duty, he gave orders that salaries of workers including that of teachers be paid not later than 31st of every month.
He stressed the administration’s determination to improve the infrastructural facilities in post primary institutions in Edo State. Osunbor said that towards this end, rehabilitation programmes were been carried out in many primary and secondary schools in the three senatorial districts of the state and that the process was a continuous exercise and will soon spread to all parts of the state.
He added that Edo students and teachers will be exposed to computer education. At the moment, all Edo State students in tertiary institutions are paid N10, 000 bursary award by the government.
| 