The Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has distributed free back-to-school packs, including school bags, shoes, notebooks and pencils, to pupils and students at New Benin Market, Benin City.
The board distributed the items while sensitising parents, guardians and members of the public, urging them to prepare children ahead of Monday, 14 September, public schools’ resumption date across Edo.
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The board charged parents, guardians and caregivers not to lock children with disabilities (PWDs) at home, but to give them opportunities to learn alongside their counterparts in schools across the state.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, Ayewoh Oyakhilome, the executive chairman, SUBEB, urged parents to ensure their children and wards returned to school on Monday without delay.
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Mr Oyakhilome emphasised that education in public schools was entirely free and urged parents to take advantage of the opportunity to secure their children’s future through regular attendance and active participation.
He advised parents to send their wards to school, warning that children found hawking or parading the streets during school hours would be taken off the streets and returned to school.
The SUBEB chairman cautioned parents not to keep children with disabilities at home, adding that every child has a right to education and should receive appropriate support in schools statewide.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to ensuring that no child was left behind under its SHINE Agenda, emphasising inclusion, access and quality education for every learner across the state’s communities.
Mr Oyakhilome said, “Education is for all in Edo. There is no discrimination or tribalism. Every child matters.”
He urged parents to ensure children enjoyed access to education across Edo.
He said children with mild disabilities were integrated into regular public schools, while those requiring more structured assistance were catered for through specialised programmes and teachers trained for support where necessary.
Also speaking, Gloria Lawani, the state coordinator for the Universal Basic Education Commission, said some teachers had been specially trained to understand and support children with special needs in schools across Edo.
Mrs Lawani encouraged parents to enrol their children in school and ensure regular attendance, stressing consistent participation supports learning, development and long-term success for every child throughout Edo schools and communities.
One of the beneficiaries, Vivian Ekiomado, thanked the state government for the school materials, saying the intervention would ease the burden on families preparing children for resumption.
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She said all her children would return to school on Monday because they now had the necessary materials, adding that the support would help them resume classes confidently and learn effectively.
Mrs Ekiomado thanked the government for its gesture, describing the provision of school materials as timely support for families and an encouragement for parents to keep their children in school throughout the school year.
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