In order to strengthen the state’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program, the governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has stated that the state government is increasing investment in power reforms and deepening internet access.
The governor made his closing remarks at the conclusion of the two-day Edo State TVET Conference at the Government House in Benin City.
He noted, “As a government, we believe in execution and we are committed to TVET and nothing will stop us from accomplishing our goal which is to become the number one state for TVET in Nigeria,” saying that advancing technical education remained a major priority for his administration.
“Our demographic as a nation is an army of young people who need to be engaged. Our approach to education needs to be rapidly different. We can’t continue to live the way we are by importing all we need for our sustenance. We must now begin to produce more of what we consume and there must be a paradigm shift. We have no option but to produce what we consume.”
Obaseki continued, “We should realize that we are the only ones that can produce what we need.” Because of this, we must begin educating our kids in this manner, and in this regard, TVET is crucial for us.
“TVET cannot be left entirely for the government. To ensure its success, the private sector must work together. We should foster an atmosphere where individuals are encouraged to place more of their attention on TVET. The President has given us an institution to train TVET teachers in the state after I persuaded him to do so. For such aim, there is the College of Education, Ekiadolor.
“We started our work on refurbishing our educational system six years ago and other states and countries are coming to us to copy our policy to enable them to replicate it in their various locations following the success recorded in that sector.”
The governor stated that in order to improve the plan for advancing TVET, his government will continue to invest in the area. He continued, “We will focus on electricity as it will help TVET to thrive. We are also focused on promoting internet connectivity. Our strategy is to make Edo a smart state and we have the most internet connection in Nigeria. Benin City alone has 400km of fibre optic cable and last week, we just made a transaction where every Local Government in Edo State will be connected to fibre before August 2023. We are investing in technology. We are also focusing on the people to make our education dreams happen.”