Governor Monday Okpebholo has declared a state of emergency in Edo State’s public schools, after Evbareke Secondary School’s Vice Principal revealed that the school carried out palliative repairs due to lack of response from the former governor. The governor vowed to address the school’s infrastructure issues, starting with Evbareke Secondary School and Army Day Secondary School
The Vice Principal of Evbareke Secondary School in Egor Local Government Area, Mrs. Mary Izewingie, has revealed that the school’s management had to carry out palliative repairs on the dilapidated facilities, as the former Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration failed to address their multiple pleas for help.
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Speaking during a visit by Governor Monday Okpebholo, who inspected several schools in Egor and Ikpoba Okha Local Government Areas, Izewingie lamented the state of the school, which has remained unchanged since 2022.
She explained that despite the school management’s efforts to fix some of the issues, the repairs were washed away by the rains, further compounding the challenges faced by the students.
“We have cried out several times, but nobody listened to us, and learning has been difficult for our students,” Izewingie said. “We even carried out palliative repairs ourselves, but the rains destroyed our efforts. We approached the Obaseki-led administration, but they never responded.”
Governor Okpebholo expressed his displeasure at the infrastructural decay in public schools across the state, especially in urban areas, and declared a state of emergency in pre-primary and post-primary schools.
He emphasized that the poor condition of schools was unacceptable and committed to improving the learning environment for the state’s children.
“I feel very bad about the state of the schools I inspected today. Look at the type of schools our children are attending—it is completely unacceptable,” Okpebholo stated. “When I was campaigning, I told the people of Edo State that I would declare a state of emergency in our schools.
I will begin with Evbareke Secondary School in Egor Local Government Area and the previous school we inspected today, Army Day Secondary School in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area.”
The governor outlined his plan to improve the facilities, starting with Evbareke Secondary School, which he noted lacked a fence, and Army Day Secondary School, where erosion had damaged the road leading to the school.
Okpebholo promised that work would begin immediately to address the issues and ensure that the schools have the infrastructure necessary to provide a quality education.
Omonzane Ebanehita, the Chairman of the State Secondary Education Board (SSEB), also spoke about the lack of conducive learning environments in schools, specifically pointing out the conditions at Evbareke Secondary School.
Ebanehita mentioned that the school management had written numerous letters about the situation and thanked the governor for his visit to the school to find lasting solutions.
With the declaration of a state of emergency, Governor Okpebholo has pledged to prioritize the renovation and improvement of public school infrastructure across Edo State, promising a better future for the students.
