Abia State to Prosecute Parents Who Fail to Send Children to School Starting January 2025
The Abia State government has announced that parents who fail to send their children to school will face prosecution beginning January 1, 2025. This decision was confirmed on Monday by Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, following a State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti at the Government House in Umuahia.
Kanu explained that the move is part of the state’s educational reform efforts aimed at ensuring all children have access to free and basic education. “In line with the Abia State Child’s Law 2006, it will now be an offense for parents not to send their children and wards to school in Abia State,” he said, stressing that poverty is no longer an excuse, as education is tuition-free through Junior Secondary School.
Kanu urged parents to take full advantage of the state’s free education policy, warning that legal action would be taken against those who fail to comply. “As from January 1, 2025, when this policy fully comes into effect, defaulting parents will be prosecuted under the law,” he added.
The Commissioner also reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to the relocation of Abia State University’s Umuahia campus back to the main campus in Uturu, addressing concerns from stakeholders and assuring that their apprehensions would be managed.
In addition, Kanu reported that Governor Otti has instructed the state Commissioner for Works to expedite repairs on the Osisioma flyover, constructed by the previous administration, to ensure the safety of Abians and other road users.