Abia State government has announced free and compulsory education for all children in the state irrespective of their state of origin.
The free education, which will commence by January 2025, will run from primary one to Junior Secondary School three in all public schools.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this while briefing the press after the State Executive Council meeting.
He said that parents and guardians who flouted the new policy would face prosecution.
“In line with the Abia Child’s Rights Law 2006, it’s now an offence for parents not to send their children or wards to school because Government has made education free and compulsory,” Kanu warned.
The policy, according to him, is pursuant to the quest by the Governor Alex Otti-led administration, to deliver quality and affordable education to the state.
Also, he said there was no going back on the proposed relocation of the Law Faculty of the Abia State University, Umuahia campus, back to Uturu main campus.
He explained that the decision was taken in the overall public interest.
The Commissioner also announced that contract had been awarded for the rehabilitation of nine additional roads in different parts of the state, and promised to provide details of the new road projects later.
He also disclosed that Government would attend to all issues arising from the implementation of the new minimum wage.
The Commissioner further said that the Governor had directed the Commissioner for Works to effect immediate repairs on the failed portion of the Osisioma ‘fly -over’ built by the immediate-past administration of Gov Okezie Ikpeazu.
He regretted that “the ‘fly-over’ which is the signature project of that administration has started failing within two years”.
Contributing, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, said that the opening on the ‘fly-over’ was widening and multiple, but “does not pose any immediate threat”.
