Governor Agbu Kefas has said the 2024 budget for Taraba State is largely designed to actualise the free education thrust of his administration.
He said education is a major priority, alongside securing the state for the residents and investors alike. He said the budget put this first with the kind of huge allocation the education sector got.
Kefas, who spoke through the special adviser on media and digital communications, Emmanuel Bello, said education is the answer to many of the ills the state had been experiencing.
He said with better learning, inner city crimes would be reduced and the necessary man power would be developed.
The governor said the economic hardship being experienced by the people may force parents to pull out their wards from schools with devastating consequences on communities.
Kefas stated that the main reason for the surge in crimes among youths is idleness and lack of proper education.
He bemoaned the high rate of out-of-school children and said it is only the free education can solve the problem.
He said a well-trained person is best suited for employment, noting that many youths were unemployable as a result of lack of sound education.
Governor Kefas recently declared education in the state would be free and compulsory.
This declaration was effectively followed up with various interfaces with stakeholders in the sectors from parents to school management. Eventually, both primary and secondary education were made free while the government also slashed the tuition fees of tertiary institutions in the state by half.
On how the rather capital-intensive policy would be funded, the governor allayed fears, stressing that government will think outside the box to find ways of paying for free education.
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