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Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has outlawed all payment practices in the state’s primary and secondary schools, emphasizing the enforcement of mandatory education for children within the school-age bracket. This action highlights the government’s dedication to fostering equal opportunities in education and addressing economic inequalities.
The governor has established an imprest account system to support school principals and headteachers in managing their institutions. With fixed monthly allocations for operational purposes, this initiative ensures that schools can function more effectively, reducing delays in addressing immediate needs.
Otti made this announcement in his New Year speech on Wednesday, stating, “We have stopped all forms of payments in primary and secondary schools. Not even PTA levies should be charged to any parent or guardian in any public school in the state.
“We have introduced an imprest account system for the running of schools. Headteachers and school principals are now entitled to specific sums every month for managing the day-to-day operations of their schools.
“There is, therefore, no excuse to extort or deny any child the opportunities that come with learning and enlightenment. We shall be strict with enforcement and it will be a grievous mistake to test our will.”
Read also: Gov Otti Signs ₦750bn Abia State’s Budget For 2025
Governor Alex Otti reaffirmed the state’s dedication to ensuring that every child of school age attends school, highlighting this as a non-negotiable part of his administration’s educational agenda. In tandem with this, he disclosed plans to allocate an impressive 35 percent of the state’s budget to funding initiatives aimed at transforming the education and health sectors, reinforcing his commitment to the people’s welfare.
Otti said, “We shall fast-track efforts to remake our schools into centres of excellence in effective teaching and learning.
“As you may know, the law mandating all children of school age to be in school every school day comes into effect today. As soon as the new school term begins later in the month, it will be unlawful to find any child outside the walls of the classroom during school hours.”
The governor also shared his administration’s urgency to build systems, rebuild the state, and realign governance priorities to reflect the true aspirations of the people.
“We have since evolved a system that prioritises the needs of the downtrodden by paying attention, listening carefully and channelling public resources to where they yield the highest social and economic dividends to the majority by taking on very difficult but economically and socially significant projects in road infrastructure development, health and education, waste management and environmental recoveries,” he said.
Governor Otti reiterated the state’s focus on security, warning that his government would not hesitate to deploy its full might against any individual or group posing a threat to the safety of residents.
“We shall also continue to prioritise the security of lives and property, adopting necessary measures to keep criminals and their sponsors out of the state. Again, I would like to restate that we shall not hesitate to deploy the full might of the government against any individual or group whose activities pose a threat to the safety of our people,” he emphasised.
In line with the New Year plans, Otti announced a provision of N18.9bn to support economically vulnerable individuals and families.
