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ABIA,Nigeria (NAN)- The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education in Abia, Goodluck Ubochi, announced that starting March 1, an education task force called Abia education marshals will be charged with locating pupils who are not in school during school hours.
Ubochi made this announcement on Tuesday while responding to questions from reporters after a press conference that preceded the launch of the Abia schools transformation programme on February 26.
He explained that the theme of the programme is “AbiaFIRST,” which represents “Fostering Innovation and Reform for School Transformation” in the state.
The commissioner noted that pupils who are found outside of school during school hours will be apprehended, and their parents will face consequences for failing to send them to school.
He emphasized that the government is committed to enforcing school attendance as it has invested in enhancing the education of the children.
Ubochi stated that the planned transformation of schools in Abia, commencing with 221 out of 1,600 schools, is underway.
“The transformation is tangible, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We intend to reach out to all schools facing challenges simultaneously, but we have to initiate the process somewhere.
We have identified 221 schools, including 10 primary schools and five secondary schools from each of the 17 local government areas,” he explained.
He also mentioned that the government acknowledged the challenges posed by vandalism in public schools and had enlisted community support to help secure the schools.
According to Ubochi, minor infrastructure issues in schools will be addressed before the full onset of the rainy season,
As part of Governor Alex Otti’s free education policy, he indicated that principals and head teachers have been given monthly imprest funds of N100,000 and N80,000, respectively.
Ubochi noted that improving the welfare of teachers is a vital component of the comprehensive initiative “Fostering Innovation and Reform for School Transformation.”
Additionally, he mentioned that the extension of teachers’ years of service and salary increases are currently being implemented. However, he emphasized that only physically capable teachers who can meet expectations will be granted this extension.
