Benue State Government has announced free education for pupils in all government-owned public schools from Basic One to Basic Nine.
Gov Hyacinth Alia made the declaration on Friday at the maiden Benue Basic Education Summit held at the College of Health Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi.
He said the policy was part of his administration’s commitment to ensuring that no child of school age is denied access to education.
Gov Alia explained that the decision was aimed at supporting poor and vulnerable families while building a strong educational foundation for the state’s future leaders.
The governor highlighted steps already taken in the education sector, including the recruitment of over 9,700 teachers, regular payment of salaries, and implementation of the harmonised retirement age for teachers.
He called on parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders to support the enforcement of compulsory basic education, stressing that the future of the state depends on investing in its children.
As part of efforts to tackle the challenge of out-of-school children, the governor also launched a new initiative tagged Building Rights to Access and Compulsory Education for Un-enrolled Pupils (BRACE-UP).
According to him, the project will mobilise community leaders, parents and teachers to identify out-of-school children, create flexible learning pathways and track pupils from enrollment to completion.
