Bernard Ajobiewe, chairman, National Union of Teachers (NUT), Edo State chapter, has commended Godwin Obaseki for his proactive stance on teacher professional development.
Ajobiewe made the remark at the EdoBEST induction training programme which brought together 1,445 teachers, principals, and head teachers from the 18 local government areas of Edo State to be trained in Benin City.
“It gives me joy that the teachers being produced under EdoBEST 2.0 are going to be relevant to generating better learning outcomes for pupils in Edo State. I must say I am impressed,” Ajobiewe said while touring the training venue.
“I was part of the maiden EdoBEST induction training as a volunteer in 2018. In 2019, I participated fully in the training and it was so impactful. I must appreciate Edo State government and the chairman of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board, Ozavize Salami, for this laudable initiative,” he added.
The 10-day training prepares teachers and school leaders for the full implementation of EdoBEST programmes in their schools. During the sessions, new school and classroom management techniques, modern teaching practices, safeguarding and child protection strategies as well as other important emerging best practices in school administration are taught to teachers and school leaders.
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Sessions are tailored to provide support to teachers in other facets of teaching ranging from interpretation of the curriculum to understanding the needs of pupils with a view to motivating them to succeed. A total of 32,000 additional children are set to benefit from the current training.
Speaking on the adoption of technology through the EdoBEST programme, Ajobiewe noted that “the teacher-tablet has also trained our teachers on the use of technology in impacting knowledge to our learners and students. Previously, teachers used to go by way of writing lesson notes and delivering lessons manually in the classroom, but that era is a thing of the past and this is so imperative.”
“Our children in the rural area can now read and they are better able to compete with pupils in the urban settlement and that gives me joy. There are assessable learning outcomes,” he added.
Speaking on the employment of the 3,000 EdoSTAR teachers who were engaged to close the learning gap in the school system, he stated that “I would like to call on Governor Godwin Obaseki to go all the way to absorb the EdoSTAR teachers into the civil service. I will also like him to put structures in place to sustain the EdoBEST programme so that it is sustained even after he leaves office.”
Teachers at the training also commended the governor and Edo SUBEB for the content of the training and the structures the state government has put in place to ensure that teachers are professionally equipped and uplifted.
