Free, Compulsory Education Policy Here to Stay — Kefas
Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining the state’s free and compulsory education policy, saying the initiative has come to stay.
The governor stated this in Jalingo during the flag-off ceremony for the distribution of materials procured under the 2024/2025 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Matching Grant to schools across the state.
Represented by the Secretary to the Taraba State Government, Gibon Timothy Kataps, Governor Kefas assured that his administration would continue to invest heavily in education and provide the necessary facilities and materials needed to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning.
He disclosed that the state government had received communication from the Universal Basic Education Commission on the 2025 Matching Grant, valued at about N6 billion.
According to him, the state has commenced the process of providing its counterpart funding to enable Taraba access the grant and ensure that more educational facilities and materials are provided to schools across the state.
The governor directed the Taraba State Universal Basic Education Board (TSUBEB) to ensure that all materials distributed to schools are properly tracked and monitored to prevent diversion or sale, noting that such practices had occurred in the past.
He also charged the board to ensure that vehicles and motorcycles provided for monitoring and supervision are used strictly for the purposes for which they were procured.
The materials distributed during the exercise included vehicles, motorcycles, laptops and other educational materials intended to support teaching, learning and effective supervision of schools across the state.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Taraba State Universal Basic Education Board, Christiana Taninga Binga, described the occasion as a demonstration of the state government’s commitment to strengthening the education sector.
Binga commended Governor Kefas for making education one of the priorities of his administration, noting that his commitment to teachers and students had continued to inspire the board to do more.
She said the board remained conscious of the fact that investment in education was an investment in the future of Taraba State.
The TSUBEB chairperson also appreciated the Universal Basic Education Commission for its continued partnership and interventions in the state, saying the materials distributed would go a long way in strengthening educational operations and improving learning outcomes.
The event also featured goodwill messages from the Commissioner for Secondary, Technical and Vocational Education, Augustina Godwin; Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, John Bonzena; the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Taraba State Wing, Nathan Solomon; among others.
