Admin 
Alex Otti
The Abia Government has said that, effective from Jan. 1, 2025, it will make it a punishable offense for parents or guardians who fail to send their children or wards to school.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr Okey Kanu, made this known on Monday during a press briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Umuahia.
Kanu said that this initiative reflected the state’s commitment to ensuring that every child received a basic education, with free schooling available up to the end of junior secondary school in line with the 2006 Abia State Child Rights Law
“There is no reason whatsoever why parents should not send their children to school.
“The issue of indigency is no longer the reason for non-acquisition of free and basic education in Abia State so as from the first of January 2025, when this policy will come into full effect, parents who default would be prosecuted under that law.
“This course is part of the reforms that are ongoing in the educational sector,” he said.
He said that the policy underscored the government’s stance that financial constraints should no longer be a barrier to education for any child in Abia.
According to him, the initiative aligns with the ongoing reforms carried out by the government in the education sector.
Kanu said that the present administration had introduced several key policies and initiatives to advance education, infrastructure, and workers welfare.
He further said that the relocation order by the government for the relocation of Umuahia campus of Abia State University back to its Uturu main campus remains firm.
Kanu expressed the readiness of the government to engage with affected stakeholders to address any concerns, and said that the decision was made with the students’ and the institution’s best interests in mind.
On the new minimum wage, he expressed the readiness of the government to dialogue with the organised labour to address any concerns around implementation of the new minimum wage.
Kanu said that the present administration desired to ensure that transparency and mutual understanding existed between the government and labour unions.
On infrastructure, he said the government had approved contracts for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of nine roads across Abia’s three senatorial zones.
Kanu said that the government had given directives for the immediate rehabilitation of the Osisioma flyover, which had started deteriorating two years after its commissioning by the previous administration.
He reiterated the resolve of the present administration to deliver substantial infrastructure improvements. (NAN)
