The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, has strongly criticised the EdoBEST initiative, launched by the immediate past governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, arguing that it failed to achieve its intended objectives. Iyamu, who was appointed under the new administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, pointed out that despite the significant financial investments made into the project, the state’s education sector remains in a deplorable state.
Launched in 2018, the EdoBEST initiative was aimed at transforming the quality of basic education in Edo State. With the promise of enhancing teaching standards, providing modern learning tools, and addressing infrastructural deficiencies in schools, EdoBEST was billed as a progressive solution to the state’s educational challenges. Two years later, in 2021, EdoBEST 2.0 was introduced to further advance the goals of the original programme. However, Iyamu’s comments suggest that the scheme has not delivered the expected results.
In an exclusive interview with TheNation, Dr. Iyamu described the state of the education sector as “appalling” when Governor Okpebholo’s administration took over. According to the Commissioner, despite the billions of naira spent on the EdoBEST initiative—specifically on the purchase of tablets for teachers—the basic infrastructure needed for effective learning was sorely lacking.
“The EdoBEST initiative, if you want to look at it holistically, one of the major problems with the initiative is that you cannot be teaching students where the teachers are using tablets that cost Obaseki’s administration billions of naira, but the students are sitting on the floor, without windows or doors in the classrooms. Then, what is the essence of such education?” Iyamu said.
He also described his personal emotional response upon inspecting the state’s public schools, recounting how he was moved to tears by the appalling conditions of the schools.
“In view of the decay, I wept during the inspection of one of the public schools in Edo State,” he revealed, further criticising the system under Obaseki’s administration, which he claims failed to adequately address the most basic needs of students.
One of the most striking aspects of Iyamu’s criticism relates to the classroom setup under the EdoBEST programme. He explained that many primary school classes under the programme were overcrowded, with one teacher tasked with teaching multiple classes at once. According to him, in some instances, primary one, two, three, and four students were all placed in the same classroom with a single teacher, which led to disorganisation and ineffective teaching.
“When the teacher wanted to teach primary one and two, primary three and four students would wait inside the same class. Is that what is EdoBEST?” Iyamu asked, expressing frustration over the inefficiencies of the programme.
Iyamu was quick to clarify that his criticisms were not politically motivated. He highlighted that the review of the EdoBEST programme was meant to address what he described as “the problems created by Obaseki’s administration,” rather than to attack individuals. “The reviews that we are doing are not to witch-hunt anybody and they are not politically motivated, but the right things must be done,” he added.
The EdoBEST initiative, which was implemented with support from international partners such as the World Bank, aimed to modernise education in the state by providing teachers with digital tools and resources. However, critics, including Dr. Iyamu, argue that the focus on technology—particularly the distribution of tablets—did not address the more pressing infrastructural issues, such as poor classroom conditions and inadequate teaching spaces.
Dr. Iyamu also noted that the EdoBEST initiative received significant financial backing, with over N200 billion (approximately $70 million) allocated for its implementation. Despite this substantial sum, he argued that the programme failed to deliver tangible results, particularly in improving the state of the classrooms and the quality of teaching.
“If we are talking about N200 billion from the World Bank, by this time, we are not supposed to be talking about classrooms. We met an appalling situation,” Iyamu stated. “That is a lot of money, and we are now working hard to ensure that resources are effectively utilised to improve the education sector.”
In contrast to the previous administration’s efforts, Dr. Iyamu was quick to highlight the achievements of Governor Monday Okpebholo in his first 100 days in office. He outlined several reforms and initiatives that the current government has introduced to address the challenges in the education sector.
“One of the things we have achieved is the launch of a technological platform that allows all Edo State students to go online and access their certificates,” Iyamu said, underscoring the importance of leveraging technology to improve educational access and record-keeping.
He also pointed to other ongoing efforts to revamp the education sector, including plans to restore and rebuild schools that had suffered from neglect in previous years. While Iyamu acknowledged the challenges ahead, he expressed confidence that the state would make significant progress under the current administration.
Dr. Iyamu concluded by stressing that the government is committed to using available resources to better the lives of students in Edo State. He also hinted that more revelations regarding the administration of former Governor Obaseki would be made public in the coming days, particularly concerning the allocation and management of funds for education.
“Governor Okpebholo has seen it all. There is even a report that you will see in the coming days. Looking at a holistic view, the EdoBEST programme got over N200 billion. By this time, we are not supposed to be talking about classrooms. We met an appalling situation,” Iyamu said.
