According to the governor, this development has ensured that no child or parent has been arrested in the state for violating out-of-school regulations, as his administration had initially planned.

It will be recalled that the Abia State government had, in 2024, made free education compulsory at the primary and junior secondary school levels. The government had also declared that any school-aged child found hawking during school hours would be arrested and their parents held accountable.

Addressing officials of the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) during their visit to the state last week, Governor Otti emphasized that the free education policy has been highly effective, particularly in terms of increased school enrollment.

“Since we started in January this year, there has been a surge in student registration,” Otti noted. “Initially, we thought we would have to enforce the policy strictly. We stated that if a child of school age was found hawking bananas or groundnuts, they would be arrested, and their parents held responsible.

“However, what we discovered is that schools are now overcrowded, and there is no one to arrest. People genuinely want to go to school,” the governor added.

In response, the Director of Regional Advocacy at the National Education Loan Fund, Nnaemeka Okafor, commended the governor for his commitment to educational development and other impactful policies in the state.