The Abia State Government says its free education policy for primary and junior secondary schools is already yielding remarkable results, with school enrolment figures rising by over 100 percent within four months.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council Meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
According to Prince Kanu, the data released by the Abia State Basic Education Board (ASUBEB) showed a significant rise in enrolment figures by October.
“This is an indication that the confidence and trust in our public school system is increasing by the day as a result of the reforms being implemented in the educational sector across the State by this administration,” he said.
Prince Kanu noted that the State Government’s educational reforms include the recruitment of 5,394 new teachers, with plans to hire an additional 4,000 in the next phase.
The Commissioner listed other measures by the State Government to include regular payment of teachers’ salaries, special incentives for teachers posted to rural areas, an increase in retirement age from 60 to 65 years, regular training programmes, and improved learning environments.
He assured that the State Government is closely monitoring the deployment of teachers to ensure they report to duty, particularly in rural communities, following complaints of absenteeism.
Responding to questions from journalists, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, revealed that issues relating to promotion, leave allowances, and salary harmonisation in the Civil Service are being handled holistically and would soon be resolved.
Mr Ekeoma explained that the State Government is working with the Head of Service, Accountant General and Commissioners for Finance to address pending issues.
He said: “The issue of leave allowance is the same thing. I am part of the committee. The Accountant General, the Commissioner for Finance, the Principal Secretary, and the Head of Service are members. The preliminary report is ready.”
On promotion arrears, he clarified that “Government decided to solve this problem holistically because teachers are civil servants. So, the way government is handling other workers’ issues applies to them as well.”
The governor’s aide, however, urged workers to provide empirical evidence of alleged salary disparities across local government areas to help the Government investigate and harmonise salary structures.
