State Government has announced a new policy that mandates free and compulsory education for all children in the state, regardless of origin. This initiative, which begins in January 2025, will cover educational costs from primary one through Junior Secondary School three in all public schools across the state.
Abia State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, confirmed the new policy while addressing the press following a State Executive Council meeting. Kanu emphasized that parents and guardians who fail to comply with the policy by not enrolling their children in school will face legal consequences. He stated, “In line with the Abia State Child’s Rights Law 2006, it will now be an offence for parents not to send their children and wards to school in Abia State. Education is free in Abia State up to the end of Junior Secondary School. There is no reason whatsoever why parents will not send their children to school. From the first of January 2025, when this policy will fully come into effect, defaulting parents will be prosecuted under that law.”
This landmark policy is part of the state’s broader commitment to improving educational access and quality, an objective underscored by the administration’s earlier declaration of a state of emergency in the educational sector.
In addition to the free education program, the Abia State Government has also prioritized infrastructure development, awarding contracts for the rehabilitation of nine additional roads across the state. Specifics on the road projects will be provided in a subsequent briefing, the Commissioner assured.
