…Nigeria Learning Passport launched
By Erharuyi A. Joe and Omoruyi Patricia Osayomore
The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has inaugurated the School-based Management Boards in Benin City, comprising the School-based Management Boards for the Senior Secondary School level and the School-based Management Committees at the Basic Education level.
The Nigeria Learning Passport was also launched by the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mr. Babagana Aminu, an education specialist.
According to Aminu, the passport was designed to complement the face-to-face learning approach and to reduce the education poverty gap in Edo State and Nigeria at large.
Urging stakeholders in the education ecosystem including parents, guardians, donor agencies and school-based management boards to support the government in providing relevant education in the State, Obaseki said quality education is expensive and cannot be funded solely by the State Government.
He reiterated his administration’s resolve to champion holistic education with the reintroduction of sport activities including the Principal’s Cup and the Governor’s Cup, which he will personally donate for the Competition.
He cautioned that no child should be found loitering during school hours as such would attract arrest and prosecution of the parents of such a child.
The Governor further said that schools will resume on 12th September, 2022, and assured that academic activities would commence on the same day. He said he would send monitoring teams to inspect the exercise in which he would also be involved.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, assured that the various institutions that have been created will guarantee the continuation of the present reforms in the State’s education ecosystem.
She expressed appreciation to the contributions of the various stakeholders in the development of the EdoBEST 2.0 Curriculum, which she said was wholly put together by indigenous professionals.
Highpoint of the event was the presentation of the Nigeria Learning Passport, a technological gadget, to some executive principals; the presentation of keys of two housing units at the Emotan Gardens Estate in Benin City to two beneficiaries, a retired Headmistress of Emotan Primary School, Mrs. Noragbon Osaru and the 2021 Award Winner of Best Performing Teacher, Teacher Idele Benedicta (Mrs.), a Biology teacher in Asoro Grammar School, Benin City.