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| Gov Kefas (L) Mr Echono |
Number of out-of-school children in Taraba unacceptable — Gov Kefas
by Uji A. Iliyasu
Abuja
The executive governor of Taraba State, Agbu Kefas, has described as unacceptable the rising number of school-age children who are out of classroom, due to poverty, in his state. He said the development had prompted him to declare free and compulsory primary and secondary education in the state in order to ensure that no child is left behind.
He said his administration also announced half-tuition payment for students in all tertiary institutions because of the same realisation that many students, due to poor family background, dropped out of various levels of higher schools, only to become drug addicts, criminals and nuisance to the society.
Governor Kefa spoke when he visited the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, in Abuja, Friday. He solicited support for the establishment of e-library, entrepreneurship training centres in higher institutions and Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in the state.
Kefas said his administration has given education topmost priority, noting that one of the major reasons for high-level insecurity in country is restricted access to education.
“I am here to solicit for establishment of entrepreneurship centres in Taraba State to be able to train our youths to be self-employed; to also ask for Computer-Based Test centres to be able to accommodate more of our students in siting for UTME and other computer based exams in Taraba, and lastly to ask for e-library in Taraba,” he said.
Kefas who commended TETFund for its massive intervention projects across tertiary institutions in the country, said he was fully committed to transforming the education sector in Taraba.
“In my agenda, the priority is education, and if you look at our region educationally there is a major problem. We have huge human resources that are untapped and I have discovered that one of the huge reasons for insecurity is lack of education.
“They said in Taraba we have one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children, so if at the primary and secondary levels, we don’t harvest these children, we can’t even invest in the higher institution and you will discover too that your own job will be affected and that is why I declared free and compulsory primary and secondary school education in Taraba.
“By the grace of God, when I am done with the plans I have on ground, I would like you to come and see what we are doing there.
“For the higher institutions, I have also discovered that a lot of our children that their parents cannot afford to pay their school fees are dropping out of school. We have some students in school but they are not in school, they don’t attend classes, they are moving about taking all sorts of drugs, to reduce that I have to declare half of school fees in all our tertiary institutions.”
Mr Echono commended the governor for his various efforts to uplift education in the state, even as he promised to look into the requests of the governor.
He said TETFund had continued to deliver various intervention projects in both federal and state tertiary institutions in Taraba State.