The Benue State Government has announced the introduction of free education for pupils in all government-owned public schools across the state, covering Basic One to Basic Nine.
Governor Hyacinth Alia made the announcement on Friday at the maiden Benue Basic Education Summit, held at the Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi. He said the policy reflects his administration’s determination to ensure that no child of school age is denied access to quality basic education due to financial constraints.
According to the governor, the free education initiative is designed to ease the burden on poor and vulnerable families while laying a solid educational foundation for the future development of the state. He emphasized that education remains a critical pillar of his government’s human capital development agenda.
Governor Alia highlighted several interventions already implemented in the education sector, including the recruitment of more than 9,700 teachers, the regular payment of teachers’ salaries, and the enforcement of the harmonised retirement age for educators. He noted that these measures are aimed at strengthening teaching capacity and improving learning outcomes in public schools.
The governor also called on parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other stakeholders to support the enforcement of compulsory basic education across the state. He stressed that sustained community involvement is essential to securing the future of Benue State through strategic investment in children.
As part of efforts to address the challenge of out-of-school children, Alia launched a new initiative tagged Building Rights to Access and Compulsory Education for Un-enrolled Pupils (BRACE-UP). He explained that the programme will mobilise community leaders, parents, and teachers to identify out-of-school children, provide flexible learning pathways, and monitor pupils from enrolment through completion.
The governor pledged sustained funding and policy backing for the initiative in line with the Universal Basic Education framework, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to inclusive and compulsory basic education in the state.
