In a joyful celebration of World Teachers’ Day 2023, the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has announced a special gift for teachers in the state.
The governor expressed his gratitude for the vital role teachers play in societal development and promised to provide them with enhanced welfare benefits and incentives.
During the event held at the Conference Hall of Teachers House in Benin City, Governor Obaseki announced that, in addition to the 13th-month salary already promised to all state workers, teachers would receive an extra half-month bonus as a token of appreciation for their hard work.
He said, “Teachers say I should give them palliative or gift for today. I have already promised all workers in Edo State that you will get your 13th month salaries this year. What I will add as a gift to celebrate the teachers because of the World Teachers’ Day celebration is that all the teachers will get an additional half-month bonus.”
This news brought cheer to the teachers present, who have been instrumental in making Edo State a model for tackling learning poverty.
Highlighting the transformation of basic education in the state, Obaseki emphasized that Edo is now recognized globally for its remarkable achievements in education.
“As a government, we owe our teachers in the state and are grateful to them for what they are doing for the future of Edo State as the children they teach are the future of the state. Our teachers are building the future of Edo State, which is human resources.”
“Edo children are no longer known for learning poverty. The world is talking about EdoBEST. Learning poverty is when a child that is up to 10 years old can’t read a complete sentence or write. We say such a child is suffering from learning poverty.
Acknowledging the challenges in the state’s educational sector, Obaseki said,
“I recall in 2018, I told the teachers that we have to do something and transform the education sector in Edo. But the problem we had in the past was that of trust because of failed promises over the years.
Governor Obaseki also mentioned the trust that his administration has built with the teachers over the years, which has been the foundation for their successful collaboration.
“My administration has been able to build trust in six years which is the foundation of anything in life. With trust, we have changed the landscape of education in Edo State. We still have challenges and problems to solve but they are not unique to us. We have done our best to improve in the sector.
“Teachers are the anchor of EdoBEST reforms. You have done well for our children and the reforms are far-reaching as people are coming into the state to learn how we did it. Our doors are open for them to learn how we have achieved what we have achieved.”
“We have equipped our teachers in the basic schools with technological devices to enhance teaching. We have laid 2,000km of fiber optic connection across the local governments in Edo State and our plan is to connect every school and empower more teachers to give better education and information to our students.
“We will build on what we have started and pray we get a successor that believes in education and the teachers to keep the sector moving.”
“The EdoSTAR programme was started to discontinue the situation where just anybody teaches our children rather than trained teachers.
“Today we have 4,500 fellow star teachers and we pay them N40,000 and observe them before finally recruiting them into the mainstream of the education sector. We will continue to address the issue of insufficient teachers in our schools.”
He assured the teachers that despite the challenges faced, his government is committed to continuous improvement and addressing the shortage of teachers in schools.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUJ), Edo State Chapter, Bernard Gbenga, expressed appreciation for the governor’s efforts in prioritizing the welfare of teachers and revitalizing the education sector.
