Edo SUBEB Commences EdoBEST@Home To Boost Learning Outcomes

17th August 2022

The ancient land of Igarra, known for its generous export of groundnut and its by-products was agog with an atmosphere that can only be described as electric when it welcomed one of its greatest exports, the Executive Chairman of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (Edo SUBEB), Mrs Ozavize E Salami

Appointed as the Executive Chairman of Edo SUBEB, Mrs Ozavize E Salami has since October 2021 been at the helm of affairs, coordinating the reform in the basic education sector of Edo state. Appointed by the Governor of Edo state, Governor Godwin Obaseki, Mrs. Salami’s primary objective is to ensure that teachers and the staff working with her work earnestly towards delivering superior learning outcomes

Applauding her efforts towards providing children in Edo state with quality education at the basic education level, the Otaru of Igarra Land, Oba E A Saiki (JP) commended the Chairman noting that her actions will safeguard the future of children in Edo state

The Paramount traditional ruler of the Igarra/Akuku Clan commended her tenacity and competence He said, “Let me say that your appointment, which is highly impressive, stands on the principle that pitches the conduct of our education system in Edo State and the country”

Prioritizing improved learning outcomes

Launching the EdoBEST programme which is the state government’s intervention for education at the basic education level in 2018, the government only envisaged reforming public primary schools in the state. It started with primary schools because according to Governor Godwin Obaseki, “To rebuild any structure, you have to start from the base and the base of our educational system is basic education”

However, under the capable leadership of Mrs Ozavize E Salami, the programme has been extended to schools now referred to as progressive schools These are schools found in hard-to-reach and most rural areas with a pupil population of less than 100 Building on the gains of the basic education sector reforms the Obaseki-led government had started in 2018 popularly known as EdoBEST, Mrs Salami led the reform to the progressive schools as a step towards increasing enrolment and improving learning outcomes for children in the state

In 2022, the programme also hit a major milestone when it organised a 10-day comprehensive training for JSS teachers, headteachers and principals and a supervisory team of the programme. This makes room for more children to be targeted by the EdoBEST programme as the state works towards achieving SDG goal 4 of quality education for all children by 2030

Worthy of note is the fact that Edo State is one of the few states in Nigeria that have followed the UBEC mandate of having Junior Secondary School under the purview of each state’s SUBEB The EdoBEST programme was instituted in junior secondary schools following the disarticulation of JSS in October 2021