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‎The Edo State Government has challenged 500 teachers selected for the 2026 Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP) to translate the knowledge gained into improved classroom performance and measurable student results.
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‎The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Washington Osifo, gave the charge at the onboarding workshop of the programme in Benin, stressing that investment in school infrastructure must be matched by quality teaching and educational content.
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‎“Whereas the form is good, but content is always better,” Osifo said, urging teachers to ensure that the training produced tangible improvements in their classrooms.
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‎“After this investment in training, you are supposed to go back and manifest it. And we will measure it with the results that will proceed from you,” he said.
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‎Osifo said previous investments in school infrastructure had made schools more attractive to students, but stressed that physical facilities alone could not deliver meaningful educational outcomes.
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‎He urged the teachers to remain committed to the state curriculum, avoid shortcuts and help students build confidence in their abilities. He also stressed their responsibility to shape students’ character and values.
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‎“See yourself and do to them (your students) what you would have loved a teacher to do to you,” he said.
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‎The 2026 STEP cohort will train 500 teachers in Edo State, building on the programme’s record of training more than 2,000 teachers and education evaluators across Edo, Delta and Imo states over the past six years.
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‎Director, External Affairs and Social Performance, Seplat Energy Plc, Chioma Afe, represented by Esther Icha, General Manager, Corporate Social Investment and Social Performance, said the programme was being sustained because of changes in curricula, technology and teaching approaches.
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‎“Education is changing daily. This programme is to equip you with what you need to meet the changing trends,” Afe said.
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‎She said STEP was designed to strengthen teachers’ classroom effectiveness as well as their personal and professional development by providing access to facilitators, learning resources and contemporary approaches to teaching.
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‎Afe acknowledged the support of the JV partner, NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), and the Edo State Government for facilitating the participation of schools and teachers.
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‎Also speaking, Vice President, HR Operations, Seplat Energy Plc, Emo Udobong-Ntia, urged the teachers to embrace leadership, influence and mentorship in their relationships with students.
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‎Udobong-Ntia presented a paper titled “The Case for Teacher Leadership,” examining why teacher leadership matters in the current education environment.