Technical education will drive Edo’s industrial growth, says Obaseki

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said government’s sustained investment in technical and vocational education will facilitate industrial growth and economic development in the state.

Obaseki said this when he received members and representatives of the World Bank and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, according to a statement by Special Assistant to the Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie.

The governor, while commending the development partners for their support for the ongoing reforms in the education sector, said his government was revamping the sector, with focus on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

He said: “We are working hard to train more teachers, especially in specialised subjects. We have done a lot over the last five years for our students and primary school pupils and now moving to Junior Secondary School, ensuring we are not dropping the standard. We must ensure that by the time they are finishing nine years of basic education, they have a pathway to where they want to be in life.”

On plans to sustain the gains recorded in the education sector through the EdoBEST programme, Obaseki said: “About 300,000 children are in our public school system in Edo State. Some are from disadvantaged backgrounds as their parents don’t have money to send them to private schools and as such, we keep our eyes on what is going on in private schools with a focus of capturing them in the EdoBEST programme.”

Earlier, Global Director of World Bank, Jaime Saavedre, commended the Obaseki administration for the successes recorded in the education sector, especially at the basic level.

Presenting the progress report, challenges and plans for expansion of the EdoBEST programme, the Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Salami Ozavize, said the state government was working to ensure all Edo children get quality education that will equip and prepare them to compete favourably with their counterparts across the globe.