Picture: Governor Otti signing the budget
By Chinedum Treasure
The Labour Party Senatorial Candidate for Anambra Central, Ven. Tochukwu Ikezue, has commended the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, for signing into law the Educational Reforms Bill aimed at sanitising the education sector and curbing alleged exploitation of parents.
In a statement issued by his campaign office on Friday, Ikezue described the reforms as “bold, people-oriented, and a clear demonstration of what Labour Party governance represents.”
According to Ikezue, the new law introduces a number of measures affecting public and private schools across Abia State, including the following:
School Leaving Certificate fees are now capped at N2,000, ending what the candidate described as exorbitant charges.
Students cannot switch schools in SS2, as they are required to remain in the same school for their senior secondary education.
Students must write WAEC or NECO in the school where they completed SS2, a measure intended to curb examination malpractice and school racketeering.
Students must pass a government-set examination before registering for WAEC or NECO, under the new Government Centralized Examination (GCE) arrangement.
Textbooks are to be reusable, with schools prohibited from requiring pupils to write assignments directly in textbooks, allowing books to be passed down among siblings.
Extravagant graduation ceremonies for nursery and primary school pupils are prohibited, in a move aimed at reducing the commercialization of early childhood education.
Ikezue said the reforms would provide relief to parents struggling with the rising cost of educating their children.
He described the measures as more than government policies, saying they represent practical interventions for families facing financial pressure from what he called exploitative practices by some private school operators and school administrators.
“While other states are increasing the burden on parents, Governor Otti has shown that government can be on the side of the people.
“This is the Labour Party template — making quality education affordable, accessible, and free from extortion. This is the kind of leadership we want to replicate in Anambra Central and across Nigeria,” he said.
The Anambra Central LP candidate said the Abia reforms demonstrated the importance of placing the welfare of ordinary citizens at the centre of government policy, particularly in critical sectors such as education.
Tags: Governor Otti, Anambra LP Candidate, Education, Abia Reforms
