The Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has paid N3 billion out of the N4.6 billion salary arrears owed workers of the state-owned College of Education by the previous administration. The Commissioner for Education, Hon. Paddy Iyamu, disclosed this during a media interactive session in Benin City.
Iyamu said the Governor ordered immediate settlement of the inherited debt after reviewing its financial implications.
“When we did the calculation, it came up to N4.6 billion. I was afraid. I went to the governor and he said no problem, they worked for Edo and we will use Edo money to pay them. He immediately approved it,” he said.
Massive Enrollment Shift to Public Schools
The commissioner disclosed that more than 1,000 students transferred from private schools to public schools in the last academic session, following the massive infrastructural improvements brought to the schools by the Okpebholo administration.
He attributed the increase in enrolment to the renovation and reconstruction of schools across the state, saying the improvement has restored public confidence in government-owned schools.
Examples cited include:
Army Day Secondary School – 502 new students
Evbareke – about 350
Uyiosa (Otiku) – over 300
Iyamu said:
“The governor has made it clear that we must give the children of the poor a seat at the table of success.”
68 Schools Upgraded, Lands Reclaimed
He said that so far, 68 schools have been rebuilt or renovated across Edo’s three senatorial districts, while 25 illegally occupied school lands have been recovered. He said this in dismissing the claim of exaggerated figures, calling on critics to verify the claims physically or check the ministry’s online records.
Thousands of Teachers Regularized
Iyamu also announced that 4,000 contract teachers hired by the previous administration, and another 1,000 engaged by communities, have now been fully regularized as government employees within the past year.
Free Schooling and Monthly Stipends
The Commissioner further stated that students in the state’s technical colleges now get N40,000 as monthly stipends, while tuition has been made free, consistent with the United Nations’ SDGs.
“All schools are now free, including the technical colleges. We met them in a sorry state, but things have changed,” he said. Iyamu restated the Okpebholo administration’s commitment to building a modern, skill-focused education system able to equip the youths in Edo State for the future.
