Abia state Governor says the state through the Ministry of Education is working out ways to create scholarship that would help address the issue of education sponsorship in the state.
The Governor who spoke on Monday during the 2024 Children’s Day celebration with the theme: “Enhancing the Total Well-being of the Nigerian Child Through Quality Education and Skills Development,” said the scholarship scheme which will address the challenges of the educationally disadvantaged will enable parents that are challenged financially to train their children without tears.
Governor Otti, who defied the heavy rain as he stood on the podium to take salute from equally determined pupils and students, described as unacceptable the non-enrollment of school-age children in the state, warning of serious penalty for parents and guardians, who refuse to bring out their children or wards.
He said that the policy would be supported with a legislation by the State House of Assembly which would prescribe penalties for offenders and apologized to Abia children for the hardship and humiliation they and their parents went through due to poor leadership, especially in the last eight years, prior to his assumption of office on May 29, 2023.
Governor Otti assured the children that under his watch, no child would be meant to go through the kind of difficulties they had to endure, due to the non-payment of salaries and pensions of their parents, guardians or benefactors by the past administration.
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While noting that he was serious-minded about protecting the rights of the Abia child, the Governor stated that under his administration, no child in the state would be marginalised or molested.
He pointed out that the government voted 20% of the state budget in 2024 to education, and vowed to stop at nothing in ensuring that primary and post primary schools have basic minimum standard, including science and technology laboratories, hostels, teachers’ quarters, electronic libraries, among other modern facilities.
Governor Otti, who said he would continue to prioritise the welfare of children in the state, announced the abolishment of payment of levies for special books for students of the School for the Blind, Afara, Umuahia, and the donation of a bus to them, while directing the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, to commence perimeter fencing of the school.
The Governor revealed that he was moved to tears by the plight of children with special needs and proclaimed that the Special Education Center for the Deaf and Mentally Retarded would henceforth be known and addressed as, ‘Special Education Center for the Deaf and Mentally Challenged’.
He also announced the donation of a bus to the school, assuring that government would upgrade and equip the school properly to accommodate a secondary section.
In a message, the wife of the Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, listed interventions by her office, aimed at empowering Abia children, reducing out of school children, donation of school supplies among other initiatives, asking that adult education and mass literacy centers in the state would be revived to bridge the literacy gap and foster a culture of life-long learning.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Ngozi Blessing Felix, noted that the day was set aside to commemorate and cherish the potentials of the children and honour the younger generation, who would shape the future.
The Commissioner while pointing out that the present administration is committed to prioritising the welfare of Abia children, advised parents to provide their children with the needed guidance to thrive in future.
