On Wednesday, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the governor of Edo State, attended the inter-house sports competition at Ologbosere Primary School in Ugbekun Quarters, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the State, and he cheered on the competing students.
Obaseki, who expressed happiness over the students’ performance, reiterated his government’s dedication to the growth of grassroots sports.
Education is the reset button you may press to restore civilization, he declared. Edo has the advantage of having always had that culture. As a result, what we’re doing in Edo is nothing new. We are attempting to restore what we have always known: the child’s overall growth.
“Our politics and our whole existence revolve around this. The next generation must come first, not us. It really upsets me when individuals in society simply talk about themselves and ignore those who are less wealthy and more vulnerable.
“I don’t think there can be any greater joy for any government or parent than coming to see to the all-around development of their children or wards,” Obaseki continued.
“Our state has always been a sporty one. The school is where grassroots sports development begins when we discuss it. How wholesome this is is obvious. These children’s involvement in the competition has excitement and potential, and now is the time for us to seize this opportunity and develop these potentials to bring them to their full potential.
The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe, stated: “As part of the EdoBEST reform, co-curricular activities in our basic schools become mandatory in 2019. When we first began in 2019, there were schools established in the 1920s and 1940s that had never participated in inter-house sports or even taken field trips. Since secondary and technical schools have now been included in the same reform, many of our secondary schools also implemented their own throughout the past week.
Since inter-house sports were no longer required in 2013, a generation of kids who attended our elementary and secondary schools have graduated without ever taking part in any sports or other co-curricular activities. The governor, who is very particular, has instructed the TVET boards, secondary school boards, SUBEB, and ministry of education that extracurricular activities and school clubs are henceforth required.