The Edo State Government has dismissed rumors suggesting that it plans to phase out the educational tablets introduced by the previous administration of Godwin Obaseki. The government clarified that the tablets are not being discarded, but the content used in them is being replaced to align with the updated Universal Basic Education (UBE) curriculum.
Mrs. Onomen Goodness Briggs, the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), addressed the matter during a press conference in Benin on Monday. She explained that the focus is on updating the educational content within the tablets rather than discontinuing their use.
The e-learning program, introduced by the Obaseki administration, utilized digital tablets and standardized lesson plans to enhance the learning experience for students in primary and junior secondary schools as part of the EdoBest initiative.
Briggs noted that the decision to replace the content stems from the outdated nature of the curriculum at the time the initial materials were developed.
She said, “I want to clarify that we are not phasing out the tablets, but we are only replacing the contents in line with the current Universal Basic Education curriculum. The curriculum that was operating when the tablet was introduced by the immediate past government is obsolete, so we are currently developing new content to replace that.
“The tablets the teachers are using belong to Edo State, and when you hear that they are withdrawing the tablet, it is not the tablet that they are withdrawing but the contents..
“The EdoBest issue is that the contents are the consultants’ property and not for Edo State. So, for retaining it, it means we are going to keep the consultants in the state forever and ever for us to keep using those contents.
“It is about the contents and not the containers. The container is our own (tablets). We have already bought it, even though it is not in all schools in the State, “she said.
The SUBEB boss also disclosed that in collaboration with staff, the board has been able to create its own contents.
She added, “In collaboration with my teams, we have been able to create our own content. Even right now, by the grace of God, by the time we finish, those in charge of the ICT will have created a portal.
“So, we have gotten a set of intelligent people among the civil servants. They are not from outside. They are all SUBEB staff.
“They picked from the National Curriculum, picked from the Scheme of works, they used our books that have been approved and got the content out, and now you can still teach across the board the same thing.
“When we finish, Edo State can start selling it to other states and other countries, and start making money,” she added.
