Education
EdoBEST : We’ve Strengthened Our Education System, Says Commissioner
The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Oviawe, has said the foresight and political will of the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, is responsible for the landmark transformation and advancement recorded in the education sector over the past seven years.
Speaking to journalists in Benin City, the Commissioner said the education sector is one area where Governor Obaseki has outperformed his peers, adding that the development was made possible by the reforms introduced by the governor in 2017.
According to her, “The governor had the vision and then had the political will. From the very beginning, he said to me, look, always tell the truth, always tell the people the truth, what is working, what is not working, and I have stood by that ethos.
“He is somebody that has compassion for the people, for the downtrodden; he’s somebody that has the right kind of values as the leader.”
She said the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST), launched on April 19, 2018, has continued to record huge success, improving learning outcomes across schools in the State.
The Commissioner said, “So, when in 2021 the governor decided that we had done considerable work at the basic level and these children that are going through a reformed basic education system are coming up to junior and senior secondary and if those levels of education are still in decay, then all the efforts done on basic would have gone to waste.
“June 2021, EdoBEST 2.0 was launched. The EdoBEST 2.0 is not just an acronym; it is an aspiration that Edo wants to be the best at every level of education, whether basic secondary, technical, vocational or tertiary.”
She also disclosed that teachers’ skills and welfare were also prioritised, with an upward review of salaries to make them among the top earners in the country, with a backlog of salaries, promotions and allowances taken care of by the governor.
According to her, “We’ve had remarkable successes, particularly at the secondary and TVET levels. We’ve been able to strengthen our education delivery system.”
On funding of the EdoBEST programme, the Commissioner disclosed that EdoBEST was fully funded by the state government until 2022 when the World Bank heard of the programme’s success and offered some level of funding through its P4R Programme.
She noted that the funding process was transparent as the funding was fully accounted for, with PwC employed by the World Bank to verify the process, adding, “That’s why I’m very comfortable and very confident in our records so far. Even though detractors may misrepresent it as being arrogant, it’s not. We know where we were, we know what we met on the ground and we know how far we’ve come.”
“I believe Edo is the first State that the World Bank was giving that facility. Typically, the World Bank does not fund States directly, they go through the federal government, but they were so confident in the abilities of Governor Obaseki, they were so impressed.”
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said its 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will begin on April 24 and not April 25 as earlier announced.
JAMB spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin, announced this in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.
Benjamin said that adjustment had been made to accommodate essential commitments by the board and its partner agencies.
He said that prospective candidates could now print their notification slips, which contain vital information regarding their exam details.
He added that the notification slip indicates the examination date, venue (centre), time and other essential details necessary for success of the examination
“Candidates are encouraged to print their notification slips beginning from today, April 19.
“This will provide ample time for logistics arrangements to access their assigned centres within the chosen examination towns.
“To print the notification slip, candidates should visit www.jamb.gov.ng, click on “2025 UTME Slip Printing”, enter registration number and click on “Print Examination Slip”, he said.
The spokesman advised candidates to familiarise themselves with their examination centres after printing their slips, at least one or two days before the examination date.
According to him, this preparation will help ensure a smooth experience on the examination day.
Benjamin further said that candidates would be assigned to centres within their chosen examination towns as no candidate would be placed in a centre outside their selected town. (NAN)
The Federal Government has mandated all tertiary institutions that have received waivers for staff recruitment to publicly announce their job vacancies.
In a statement released on Thursday, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa emphasized the importance of transparency in the hiring process. The statement was issued by Folasade Boriowo, the Director of Press in the Ministry.
Dr. Alausa encouraged these institutions to advertise positions in at least one national daily newspaper, on their official websites, and in pertinent academic and professional journals.
This directive is intended to foster an open and competitive recruitment environment, ensuring equal opportunities for all eligible Nigerians.
“This initiative follows the waivers granted to federal tertiary institutions based on their submissions regarding manpower needs,” he explained. “It reflects the ministry’s commitment to strengthening the capabilities of our higher education institutions.”
He reminded all federal tertiary institutions to submit their recruitment requirements to the ministry for evaluation by the Committee on Waiver and Recruitment.
“The ministry has established effective mechanisms to ensure compliance and will not hesitate to impose penalties on any institution that fails to follow this directive,” he stated. “The Federal Ministry of Education is steadfast in its commitment to upholding integrity and fairness within the Nigerian higher education system.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has uncovered at least 585 forged A-Level certificates so far in 2025.
Is-haq Oloyede, the registrar, was at a virtual meeting with JAMB staff on April 2.
The meeting was to discuss operational procedures ahead of the 2025 mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the main UTME.
Oloyede said JAMB discovered 585 forged A-Level certificates, 13 of which originated from the Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB).
He said the professional registration centres (PRCs) that uploaded the results are now under investigation.
Of those 13 cases, Oloyede said four suspects have so far been arrested.
He said the forgeries were among the reasons for the creation of the Nigeria Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (NIPED).
NIPED is a platform designed to collect and manage data related to post-secondary education in Nigeria.
Oloyede alleged that some institutions may have internal collaborators aiding the syndicates behind the forgeries.
He said the board is working closely with police and other authorities to apprehend the ringleaders.
In 2023, JAMB also uncovered 1,665 fake A-level results during a DE registration season.
The board said its NIPEDS lagged multiple cases of forgery, with 13 additional A-level certificates recently identified as fake.
JAMB said some institutions had already processed admissions for candidates using these forged documents before they were detected.
It urged its staff to remain committed to their duties and to avoid any actions that could compromise the integrity of the board.