By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, John Mayaki, has urged the World Bank to verify claims of achievements by the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki on his administration’s basic education programme, EdoBEST (Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation) which was designed to improve learning outcomes through the adoption of digital technology and investments in conducive learning environments.

  Mayaki’s advice to the international financial institution came after Obaseki’s participation at the World Bank 2023 spring meetings to discuss the success of the programme.

   He urged the international community not to fall for the “eloquent lies and well-packaged fiction of the governor through PowerPoint presentations which do not accurately reflect the state of affairs in the state.”

  He said, “In the interest of the teachers and students of Edo State,  I encourage the international institution to commit its local team to the important task of ascertaining the accuracy of the claims, including through unannounced visits to some of the listed schools.”

   “In reality, Edo State has suffered a massive decay in education infrastructure and loss of personnel as most schools, including those listed as beneficiaries of the Edo BEST programme, lack adequate staff strength. In most basic schools across the state, the student teacher ratio is far below expected standards, causing a situation where a single teacher is mandated to teach various subjects to different classes of pupils who may sometimes number above hundred.”

   He alleged that “The teachers are chronically fatigued and poorly motivated. The students are unable to concentrate and learn effectively because of the substandard state of the classrooms, many of which lack standard windows and doors, let alone advanced learning materials.”