The Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has distributed free back-to-school packs comprising school bags, shoes, notebooks and pencils to pupils and students at New Benin Market in Benin City.
The distribution exercise was carried out while the board sensitised parents, guardians and members of the public, urging them to prepare their children ahead of the Monday, September 14, resumption date for public schools across the state.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Mr. Ayewoh Oyakhilome, charged parents, guardians and caregivers not to lock children with disabilities at home. He emphasised that such children must be given the opportunity to learn alongside their peers in schools across Edo.
Oyakhilome urged parents to ensure their children and wards returned to school on Monday without delay. He stressed that education in public schools is entirely free and called on parents to take full advantage of the opportunity to secure their children’s future through regular attendance and active participation.
The SUBEB chairman warned that children found hawking or wandering the streets during school hours would be taken off the streets and returned to school. He also cautioned parents against keeping children with disabilities at home, insisting that every child has a right to education and should receive appropriate support in schools statewide.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment under the SHINE Agenda to ensuring that no child is left behind, with a strong emphasis on inclusion, access and quality education for every learner across the state’s communities.
“Education is for all in Edo. There is no discrimination or tribalism. Every child matters,” Oyakhilome said, urging parents to ensure their children enjoy full access to education.
He explained that children with mild disabilities are integrated into regular public schools, while those requiring more structured assistance are catered for through specialised programmes and teachers trained to provide the necessary support.
Also speaking, the State Coordinator of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Mrs. Gloria Lawani, disclosed that some teachers have been specially trained to understand and support children with special needs in schools across Edo. She encouraged parents to enrol their children and ensure regular attendance, noting that consistent participation supports learning, development and long-term success.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Vivian Ekiomado, expressed gratitude to the state government for the school materials. She said the intervention would ease the burden on families preparing for resumption and confirmed that all her children would return to school on Monday because they now have the necessary materials.
Ekiomado described the provision of school materials as timely support for families and an encouragement for parents to keep their children in school throughout the academic year.
