The Abia State government has introduced free and compulsory education for all children residing there, regardless of their origin.
The new policy, set to take effect in January 2025, will cover education from Primary One through Junior Secondary School across all public schools in the state.
The announcement was made by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, during a press briefing following the State Executive Council meeting.
According to Kanu, this initiative is part of the Alex Otti administration’s commitment to ensuring quality and affordable education for all children in Abia State.
Kanu warned parents and guardians who fail to comply with the new policy would face legal action, referencing the Abia Child’s Rights Law 2006.
“It’s now an offence for parents not to send their children or wards to school because the government has made education free and compulsory,” he stated.
The new measures are part of the administration’s dedication to reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.
The government aims to address education inequality and enhance literacy by making education accessible to children from all backgrounds within the state.
A report by UNICEF paints the picture of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
One in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria… about 10.5 million of the country’s children aged 5-14 years are not in school. Only 61 percent of 6-11 year-olds regularly attend primary school and only 35.6 percent of children aged 36-59 months receive early childhood education.
In the north of the country, the picture is even bleaker, with a net attendance rate of 53 percent, the report continued.
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