Anambra Assembly Approves Free Education for Senior Secondary

By Christopher Okafor

Anambra State House of Assembly on Tuesday Approves Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s Executive bill for extention of free education to senior secondary level in the state.

Until now, the state offers free education from nursery to junior secondary in public schools across the state.

During a plenary presided over by the Speaker Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze on Tuesday, 5th November the state legislature passed into law the bill extending the free education up to senior secondary schools.

Presenting the motion before the house, Hon. Okpalaeke Anayo, Member representing Aguata I State Constituency and the Chairman House Committee on Education, explained that the new policy would proffer all-round development system for qualitative evaluation and also reduce financial burdens on most parents.

Hon. Anthony Muobuike, Aguata II lawmaker and Chairman House Committee on Health, seconded the motion, setting the stage for its speedy passage by the state lawmakers.

Fielding questions with AnambraDaily shortly after the bill was passed into law, Okpalaeke stressed that the Soludo administration was trying to use the new policy to address the weakest link in education sector in the state.
According to him, Anambra state has four separate links in educational system: the Public -Public Link, Private-Public Link, Mission-Public Link and Public-Mission Link.

“The weakest link amongst the education sector was the Public- Public and that’s what the Soludo administration was targeting with its new free education policy”, he said.

Okpalaeke added that the way to predict how great future leaders would be was by looking at the education system to check both the teachers and their mode of teachings as well, in the society.

“That is the only way that determines the brightness of the future Leaders. Therefore, what Mr Governor is doing today is a way to train up the future Leaders in the country. It is a welcome development”.