Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (Edo SUBEB) has commenced the training of over 2,000 primary and secondary school teachers to further drive the gains of EdoBEST to the grassroots.
Additionally, 109 newly employed learning and development officers, and 26 quality assurance officers are also being trained to strengthen the school supervisory system.
The professional development training, which is ongoing in Benin, is designed to provide qualified teachers and field officers for more communities in rural and hard-to-reach areas in Edo State.
“This training will enable more of our esteemed pupils and students get the full benefits of EdoBEST as it brings junior secondary schools and more primary schools under the EdoBEST reform umbrella. We are paying particular attention to teachers and field officers from remote and hard-to-reach areas,” Ozavize Salami, executive chairman, Edo SUBEB said.
Selected teachers, most of who were engaged by the state government through the EdoSTAR Initiative, are being trained on better classroom management techniques, modern methods of child protection and safety, new methods of motivating pupils to learn, as well as strategies for delivering lessons using technology.
Each batch of trainees will receive training over a 10-day period. At the end of the process, teachers will be better prepared to deliver on the demands of the 21st century learning environment.
“Governor Godwin Obaseki is committed to spreading the gains of EdoBEST to every corner of our state. This is the motivation behind this training. We are doing this to ensure all our schools have adequate number of up-skilled teachers and every child is learning,” Salami said.
In 2018, Governor Obaseki launched EdoBEST, a holistic basic education reform programme to address learning gaps and deficiencies identified in the school system. Since inception, the programme has been hailed as a workable, effective and sustainable template for basic education service delivery reform. Other states in Nigeria, including Lagos have launched similar reform programmes mirroring EdoBEST.
In November 2021, Executive Chairmen of 36 state SUBEBS and the management of the Universal Basic Education Commission met in Benin to understudy EdoBEST.