Governor Alex Otti of Abia State says non-enrollment of school-age children in the state  will now be criminalised.

He warned that parents and guardian who don’t register their children or wards of school age will be seriously penalised. 

He issued the admonition while speaking at Umuahia Township Stadium during the 2024 Children’s Day celebration.

He stated that the policy will receive a legislative backing from the Abia State House of Assembly which would prescribe a penalty for offenders.

“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 said.

He also disclosed that there will be scholarship 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.

The governor, who broke down in tears at Umuahia Township Stadium while taking salute from pupils, said he was pained by the plight of the children with special needs like the deaf.

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