Kogi Returns 130 Out-of-School Children To Classrooms

Kogi State government has returned over 130 out-of-school children to the classrooms within one year.

The commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, who stated this when he defended the budget of the ministry before the House of Assembly Committee on Education, said the state achieved the feat through its free education policy.

“We can achieve this through our policy on free education. All our public schools are tuition-free. All examinations, like the Basic Education Certificate, WAEC and JAMB, are fully paid for by the government.”

According to him, the state government has invested considerable resources in education through the payment of the state counterpart funding to all other agencies in which the State government has collaboration like the Universal Basic Education.

“The government and by extension the governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is very committed to the provision of qualitative and affordable education for the people of the state. The state government has consistently earmarked 30% of the state’s budget for education. This is huge.

“The universities are doing very well as well as our model secondary schools. You will agree with me that even if you give the whole of the state’s budget to education, it will still not be enough. However, with what we are being given, the schools are running optimally.”

The chairman of the House Committee on Education, Hon. Idris Aliyu Maikudi, commended the state government for its huge investment in education, particularly the establishment of two functional universities within a record time of three years.

He promised that the state Assembly will continue to work in collaboration with the state government and the ministry of education through adequate budgetary provision and its oversight function.