Gov Otti bans PTA levies, others in all Abia primary, secondary schools

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has announced a groundbreaking policy in his New Year address, banning all forms of payment in primary and secondary schools across the state. This move is part of his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the future of Abia’s children. He said,

“We have stopped all forms of payments in the primary and secondary schools. Not even PTA levies should be charged to any parent or guardian in any public school in the state.”

Effective immediately, no parent or guardian will be required to pay any fees, including PTA levies, in public primary and secondary schools. To ensure seamless school operations, Governor Otti has introduced a new financial system for public schools.

This bold initiative demonstrates the governor’s dedication to prioritizing education and ensuring that every child in Abia has access to quality learning, regardless of their financial background. He further stated,

“We have introduced an imprest account system for the running of schools. Headteachers and school principals are now entitled to specific sums every month for managing the day-to-day operations of their schools.

“There is therefore no excuse to extort or deny any child the opportunities that come with learning and enlightenment. We shall be strict with enforcement, and it will be a grievous mistake to test our will,” he asserted.

“We are practically in a hurry; we want to live in fulfilment of the dreams of this administration: to build systems and structures, to rebuild our state, and to realign governance priorities to reflect the true aspirations of the people.

“We have since evolved a system that prioritises the needs of the downtrodden by paying attention, listening carefully, and channeling public resources to where they yield the highest social and economic dividends to the majority,” he said.

“We shall fast-track efforts to remake our schools into centres of excellence in effective teaching and learning. As you may know, the law mandating all children of school age to be in school every school day comes into effect from today.

“As soon as the new school term begins later in the month, it will be unlawful to find any child outside the walls of the classroom during school hours,” he said.

Governor Alex Otti reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to revitalizing Abia’s economy, with a focus on strategic investments in public infrastructure, human capital development, and social services, thus,

“We shall do everything in our power to reposition the state to become irresistibly attractive to those seeking to expand to new territories or cut costs by taking advantage of the boundless opportunities the state offers, especially in the areas of human capital, improved social infrastructure, and seamless ease-of-doing-business protocols.

“We shall, in the New Year, consolidate our efforts to make the state investor-friendly. We shall give greater attention to the agricultural sector”.