Governor Godwin Obaseki, Rev. Mathew Hassan Kukah, Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe, with some students at the Maiden Edo Parents’ Summit
By Jethro Ibileke
Edo State Government has held the Maiden Edo Parents’ Summit, where the role of quality education in improving human and capital development indices was highlighted.
The Summit which was held over the weekend in Benin City, the state capital, was part of activities marking the 2023 Edo Education Week.
The state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, highlighted the essentials of quality education.
In his speech, Governor Obaseki noted that parents play critical roles in sustaining achievement recorded by his administration in the education sector.
According to him, the educational week highlights the achievements recorded so far by the reforms undertaken by the state government in the past five years.
He therefore thanked parents for their continuous support which he said has contributed in no little way to the success recorded so far in the reform.
“We can appreciate how far we have gone, the progress made and what needed to be done going forward in sustaining the reforms.
“In the last five years, we have been able to make foundational changes. We have made teachers important, introduced technology, set up school management, and got communities involved to make the reforms successful,” he added.
According to the Governor, the education week also focuses on the last component of the reforms which is the learning standards, noting that the learning agenda has been launched which is focused on making every child a reading champion.
He said, “Every Child must learn a skill as we don’t want a situation where our children will learn without skills. The last component of the reforms is sustainability which is in the hands of stakeholders particularly parents who are critical to the reforms.”
Also speaking, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, urged parents to place a premium on educating their children to ensure that their legacy is remembered.
He said, “Education is important and significant because it focuses on improving great values in our children. Education is a substitute for godfatherism and nepotism.”
The Catholic Bishop commended Governor Obaseki, noting, “We thank you for repositioning, restrategizing on how the world sees Edo people through Education.
He urged parents and other critical stakeholders to collaborate with the state government in sustaining the reforms to enable the state to compete favorably in the 21st century.
“The great efforts of Governor Obaseki must be commended as he has repositioned Edo State to be able to compete favorably, efficiently, and effectively in the 21st Century. The country has been faced and is still facing various forms of security challenges which are threatening the education sector.”
“As a country, we must do our best in all areas to push back those threatening the existence and success of the nation and by extension the education sector.
On his part, the State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe, said the focus of the governor is to restore values in the educational sector in Edo State, adding that the Education Week was planned with a series of events that will add value to the lives of the students.
According to her, the parents’ summit was held as the state government considers parents as critical stakeholders in entrenching proper values in the lives of children.
Members of the Edo State Market Women Association, the state chapters of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria pledged to support reforms and programs implemented by the Obaseki-led administration which has improved learning outcomes in schools.
The Leader of the Edo State Market Women Association, Madam Blacky Omoregie, pledged that market women will support the efforts of Governor Obaseki’s administration to ensure that children are in school during school hours.
Speaking on behalf of the religious bodies in the state, Rev. Fr. Alfred Agbonlahor, thanked the governor for the great work done in the education sector in the state, urging the parents to inculcate the reading culture into their wards.