Governor Soludo who proved and demonstrated that his government is a government for the poorest of the poor in the society, decreed and declared during a meeting with head teachers and school principals at the Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka that henceforth pupils in all public schools from nursery to senior secondary school will obtain qualitative free education to help secure their future.
Soludo equally stated that all those who have paid first term school fees would be refunded their money because according to him, all Anambra children in government schools are now on scholarships as he believes every child has right to qualitative and functional education.
The governor said,” We are putting back money into the pockets of people and even those who have paid school fees for this term would be refunded. They would be getting their money back by next week. We would be taking care of this in all our public schools.
It is part of our comprehensive package to ensure that our children get qualitative free education from nursery to senior secondary school.
Once you give a child qualitative primary and secondary education, the child is set to go. This is the Anambra we want to create and we are creating.”
Meanwhile the Education Commissioner Professor Ngozi Chuma-Udeh noted that it is unprecedented and unrivaled in Anambra State that a governor pronounced free education from pre-primary to senior secondary school for all the children in public schools.
The Commissioner who described Governor Soludo as a man of great vision, maintained that his aim is to lay the foundation for qualitative and accessible education for every child in Anambra irrespective of class, race and ethnic group.
She said the governor employed eight thousand, one hundred and fifteen teachers thereby eradicating the era of schools without teachers; reconstructing schools in Anambra and currently did the unimaginable by declaring real free education across board without dues; implying that every child should pick up his bag, her bag and go to school free of any charge whatsoever.
The Commissioner however maintained that the governor’s policy on total and complete free education for children in Anambra public schools is very categorical and any teacher(s) or principal(s) caught contravening the policy will be systematically flushed out from the system.
Furthermore, the Chairman Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Education and lawmaker representing Aguata 1 State Constituency Hon. Anayo Okpalaeke, recalled that the governor had declared free education up to JSS3 level but due to his passion for qualitative education, decided to scale it up to SSS3 level; declaring total free education for children in public schools.
Okpalaeke noted that the governor’s intention is for the children of the poorest of the poor to level up with the children of the rich by giving them platforms to obtain qualitative education without tears and without any cost implications.
The lawmaker who described Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s declaration as a wonderful gesture, said that the House of Assembly Committee on Education will through her oversight duties ensure that head teachers and school principals implemented the governor’s policy on comprehensive free education to the latter.
Also, the national president of the Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU) Barr. Titus Nnabuike Akpudo who commended Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo for what he described as a giant initiative introduced into the State’s education sector, explained that the governor is investing so heavily in the future of Anambra children.
The ASATU national president said that the role of town unions would be to sensitise their people on the new free education policy of the Soludo administration and why it is of paramount importance that every child in the 179 communities of Anambra State accessed it.
He said children in Anambra public schools will henceforth enjoy full scholarship, full benefits and full opportunities following the revival and revolution in the education sector.
He also suggested that government should make it mandatory that any person contesting any leadership position at the kindred or Umunna level should at least acquire basic education since education is now completely free in Anambra State.
According to him, while other states of the federation are still contemplating on whether to pay the new minimum wage, the ASATU national president commended the governor for taking the bold step to say he will begin payment of the new minimum wage to all workers in Anambra State from October this year.
Principal of Community Secondary School Iyiowa-Odekpe in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state, Mrs. Ngozi Ezeonyima who spoke to journalists shortly after the meeting with the governor, said they were all happy to hear the governor make such pronouncements because it meant that children from poor families will now be able to go to school.
She said Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has given every child equal opportunity to be educated and no more demarcations or segregations in the school system in Anambra State.
She also disclosed that they have received their September salaries and that the governor assured them they will get their new minimum wage from October this year.
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