A SPEECH DELIVERED AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE AUGUST 2022 EDITION OF
THE EDOBEST INDUCTION TRAINING IN BENIN CITY BY RT. HON. PHILIP SHAIBU,
DEPUTY GOVERNOR, EDO STATE ON THE 9TH OF SEPTEMBER 2022.
Protocols.
Teachers are great! Teachers are great!! Teachers are great!!!
It is with great pleasure and a deep sense of pride that I stand before you to bring
to a close this landmark 10-day EdoBEST Induction Training Programme.
Beginnings and endings are always symbolic. Just three weeks ago, I finally hung
my boots as a professional footballer after a match at the Ogbe Stadium – an
arena similar to this one. Ironically, for you, this is an arena where a new beginning
is birthed. Today, you leave here as trained EdoBEST digital teachers going back
to your various schools and communities to fill gaps in JS Schools and in hard-to-reach primary schools. This is in line with our administration’s education reform
programme and the implementation of our disarticulation strategy.
I am sure the past ten days of training have been rigorous and challenging and
well worth it because no investment is too great in seeking to improve learning
outcomes for our Edo children and ensuring that teachers are placed in every
class and for a wider range of subject specifications. With you, we have
accomplished this. Thank you.
Education is the bedrock for development of any civilized people, we are
therefore hopeful that the training you received here will redefine teaching and
learning, not just for you, but also for over 32,000 additional Edo children in junior
secondary and primary schools, in whose hands the future of our dear state lies.
Now you have the capability to deliver lessons in more structured, more
encouraging and impactful ways, you have no reason to fail
His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki has declared that for us as a State,
under EdoBEST 2.0, the emphasis has shifted to the provision of Quality Education
at all levels. Basic Education is the foundation and as such, we will continue to
drive and deepen our reforms at this level especially now that we have
disarticulated Junior Secondary schools from Senior Secondary Schools such that
Edo children can access 1 year of pre-primary education and 9 years of
continuous basic education before deciding the path they choose whether skills
through TVET or academics through a Senior Secondary School leading to a
WAEC certificate.
As your new journey begins, I must remind you that you have been entrusted with
the responsibility of building the lives that will define tomorrow. From the smallest
town in the northern part of Edo state to the central part of our state, to the
remote villages in Edo South and even in our most urban cities, every child in the
state-owned education is your responsibility, to educate, to protect and to guide
in line with the vision which has been adequately espoused to you here.
You must go to school on time everyday and stay in school teaching your periods
and supporting your students till the end of day. We will be watching you and will
mete out necessary sanctions as well as reward high performance.
Since launching EdoBEST 2.0, last year, Edo SUBEB has
– Trained and equipped over 4,000 additional teachers including
3,000EdoSTAR fellows.
– Onboarded all 306 junior secondary schools across the state into the
EdoBEST programme
– Built internal capacity in line with ensuring sustainability and domestication
of the EdoBEST programme
– Identified several schools across the State for the massive improvement of
infrastructure
As we continue the EdoBEST 2.0. journey, our commitment to education is
unwavering. We remain resolute even as we extend the basic sector reform to
our Junior secondary schools and beyond by committing more resources to
massive infrastructure development in the disarticulation of Junior Secondary
from Senior Secondary Schools in line with the UBE Act. This is a journey that you
are now a critical part of.
Today, as you graduate into the EdoBEST school system and our children resume
on Monday 12 September 2022, I charge you to truly be the best when you are
put to the test, go over and above in the delivery of your job as a teacher and
always put the interest of our children first such that objectives of the EdoBEST
programme are achieved and sustained. I believe that with you, we will retain
Edo’s position as a trailblazer and innovator in sustainable education reform
Congratulations again and God Bless You All
