Soludo abolishes payment of fees, levies in Anambra public schools

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has announced the abolition of all payment of fees and levies in all government-run public schools in the state.

Governor Soludo stated this at Premier Primary School, Obosi and Ado Girls Secondary School, Onitsha.

Before now, public schools in the state were tuition-free but all manner of levies were indiscriminately imposed on the pupils in virtually all the schools in the state.

Pupils in JSS1 to JSS3 were paying as much as N5,000 to N8,000 depending on the school as levies while pupils in SSS1 to SSS3 were also paying between N8,000 to N12,000 as levies/charges depending on the school.

Those in primary schools pay as much as N2,000 as levies as well.

However, the Governor has announced that all manner of levies from nursery to primary six have been completely abolished in all public schools.

In the same vein, all manner of levies in JSS1 to JSS3 which range between N5,000 to N8,000 have also been completely abolished in public schools.

Following the announcement, levies in SSS1 to SSS2 which hitherto were between N8,000 to N12,000 have now been drastically reduced to N5,000.

“No pupil in this category is expected to pay above the stipulated amount of N5,000,” Soludo said.

The Governor said the amount would be used as operational cost for the school among other support from the state government.

He said pupils in Nursery to Primary schools, as well as JSS1 to JSS3 students will no longer pay any form of fee or levy in Anambra schools starting from the 2023/2024 academic session while students in SSS1 to SSS3 will not pay more than five thousand naira.

Speaking further, the governor said that the constitution of Nigeria requires government in Nigeria to as soon as it is practicable, offer free primary or secondary education.

He stressed that among the four categories of schools in the state, government-run public schools are the least in terms of infrastructure and otherwise, saying that by the announcement, his administration will begin massive revolution to bring out public education to be a model in the education sector.

He assured that government will be investing and rebuilding infrastructure in the schools in the coming weeks and months. He equally promised to roll-out his government full agenda for the education sector in the coming days.

Professor Soludo also emphasised that his administration will begin to use education as an opportunity equaliser. He described education as not just the future but the present, saying that the big agenda is to mainstream education as the foundation.