Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has criminalised the non-enrolment of children to schools in the state.

He disclosed this at Umuahia Township Stadium during the 2024 Children’s Day celebration, noting that the policy would be supported with legislation by the Abia State House of Assembly which would prescribe a penalty for offenders.

He said: “From now on it is an offence for any child that is of school age not to be sent to school.

“We are going to back that up with a legislation and that legislation will prescribe penalties for any parent who refuses to bring out his child for education.”

He also said scholarships would be created for children whose parents are financially disadvantaged, to ensure that every child of school age goes to school, promising that no child in the state would be marginalized or molested.

He further abolished payment of levies for special books by students of the school for the blind, Afaraukwu, and donated a bus to them.

He apologized to Abia children for the past administrations which owed teachers salaries and left school environments to rot.