Edo SUBEB chair: We’re only replacing contents in e-learning programmes, not the tablets

Edo SUBEB chair: We’re only replacing contents in e-learning programmes, not the tablets

Edo State Government has refuted rumours that it is phasing out the educational tablets introduced by the immediate past government of Godwin Obaseki to boost e-learning in the state.

Executive Chairman of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mrs. Onomen Goodness Briggs, who made the refutation in an interview with newsmen in Benin City on Monday, said the state was only replacing the contents of the tablets.

Rumours had it that the Governor Monday Okpebholo government had concluded plans to phase out the e-learning programme in public schools.

The e-learning programme introduced by the immediate past government involved the use of digital tablets and uniform lesson plan by the teachers to teach those in the basic schools, from primary to the Junior Secondary level as part of the EdoBest programme.

Briggs said replacement of the contents became necessary due to the obsolete nature of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) curriculum at the time the contents were created by the immediate past government.

She also disclosed that the tablets were for Edo State, while the contents were for consultants employed by the past government to run the programme.

Briggs added that experts in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) were already creating a portal for the contents, assuring that when completed the state government can sell the portal to other states, and even other countries, for revenue generation.

She stated, “We heard that people are saying that we want to phase out the use of digital tablets to teach in our schools by the state government.

“I want to clarify that we are not phasing out the programme, but we are only replacing the contents in line with the current Universal Basic Education curriculum."