Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has declared that education for senior secondary students in public schools will now be free. The announcement was made during a meeting with principals and head teachers of public schools in Awka on Thursday.
This policy expansion follows his earlier commitment to provide free and compulsory education from nursery through junior secondary levels, which was introduced in September. Prior to this development, senior secondary students were required to pay a nominal fee of N5,000.
Soludo stated that the free education policy would be effective starting next week, emphasizing the importance of improving access to education and fostering the development of students’ talents, mental and physical abilities.
“I want to assure you that even with resource constraints, our administration is working tirelessly to fulfill its mandate,” Soludo said. He also directed that students who had already paid their N5,000 tuition for the current term be refunded.
In addition to the education reforms, Soludo announced that the Anambra government would begin paying a new minimum wage of N70,000 in October. “We remain committed to investing in our people, and this new minimum wage alongside free education underscores our dedication to improving the standard of living for workers and students in Anambra,” he added.
