Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas has declared that free, compulsory and quality education is non-negotiable as a benchmark to produce quality students that can guarantee future development of the state.
Governor Kefas stated this during a town hall meeting where he also interacted with journalists in Jalingo, Taraba State capital on the occasion marking his second year in office.
The governor said he has taken his time to study the process of laying a solid foundation for free, compulsory and quality education for the children of the state.
He stated that his administration was poise to create an enabling environment for safety and quality education for the entire children across the state.
Governor Kefas added that the government has already procured uniforms, school bags, shoes, books, and electronic pads to distribute to the children across all primary and secondary schools in the state for its free education programme.
He further noted that it was difficult to convince the people, particularly some of the stakeholders in the education sector to believe that free and compulsory education is sustainable and can be achieved in Taraba State.
He called on the people to believe in the programme and support his administration to succeed in the area of education.
“We cannot do it in one day. The foundation has been laid, we are building 60 schools with standard structures where our children can learn under conducive environment and they will be well secured across the sixteen local government areas of the state.
“We have procured uniforms, learning materials and teachers have already enrolled in various institutions to get better education to come back and impact knowledge to the students.
“It’s only when we train our children with quality education that Taraba State can develop in years to come. Why we are where we are today is because of lack of knowledge. We are not negotiating free education, since I remain the governor of Taraba State, we are not joking with free and compulsory education, it must be achieved,” Governor Kefas stated.
