The Abia State government will begin enforcing school attendance for pupils from March 1, with parents of out-of-school children facing penalties, according to the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Goodluck Ubochi.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday after a press conference ahead of the Abia Schools Transformation Programme launch on February 26, Ubochi said education marshals would be deployed to track pupils absent during school hours.
He explained that the initiative, themed “AbiaFIRST” (Fostering Innovation and Reform for School Transformation), aims to improve education standards in the state. Under the enforcement strategy, pupils found outside school premises would be detained and used to trace their parents, who would then face consequences for non-compliance.
The commissioner highlighted the government’s investment in education and the planned transformation of 221 schools across the state. These include 10 primary and five secondary schools from each of the 17 local government areas.
His words, “The transformation is real, but the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. We plan to reach out to all the schools that have challenges at the same time, but we have to start somewhere.
“We have marked out 221 schools, 10 primary schools and five secondary schools from each of the 17 local government areas,” he added.
The commissioner revealed that to curb vandalism, communities have been engaged to help secure school facilities, while minor infrastructural issues will be addressed before the rainy season.
As part of Governor Alex Otti’s free education policy, head teachers and principals now receive monthly imprest funds of N80,000 and N100,000, respectively. Additionally, teacher salaries have been increased, and service years extended, though only physically fit educators will benefit from the extension.
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