*Children’s Day: Obaseki pledges improved welfare, sustained investment in education for a better future*

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his government will sustain investment in the education sector to guarantee a better future for children in the state.

Obaseki, in a statement to commemorate this year’s Children’s Day, promised to improve the welfare of Edo children, ensuring that they are provided with the environment, skills and opportunities to realize their fullest potential.

He said, “Today, we celebrate those who bear our hope for a brighter future, our children. We reinstate our administration’s commitment to the protection and welfare of these children, giving them a voice and providing them with the environment, skills and opportunities to achieve their dreams and live life to the fullest.

“As a government, we understand the important role education plays in achieving an all-round development of a child and will continue to invest massively in education, upgrading our school infrastructure and bequeathing our children with the knowledge to compete favourably in a technology-driven 21st century.

The governor, who assured that reforms and policies being implemented in the state’s basic education sector would encourage parents to send their children to school, added that “The Edo State Government through the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme is improving learning outcomes and providing a robust opportunity for children to get a quality basic education.”

Obaseki said his government has strengthened institutions in the state to enforce the Child Rights Law, to ensure that children are protected from abuses, especially child labour.

He added, “The state government is currently embarking on the prosecution of parents and guardians of out-of-school children as part of measures to take all children off the streets and improve access to education. We have also enacted the Violence Against Persons (VAP) law to protect children from all forms of abuse which include the use of children for cheap labour, thereby denying them the chance to actualise their future aspirations.”