The Kwara State Government has announced the abolition of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) levy in all public primary schools across the state, replacing it with an annual school grant aimed at easing financial pressure on parents and improving school operations.
Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Professor Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, made this known during the opening of bids for the 2024 third and fourth quarters of the UBEC/SUBEB intervention projects held in Ilorin.
Adaramaja explained that the new initiative would ensure equitable funding and accountability across the state’s 1,717 public primary schools. According to him, “The state government will now provide running costs for all 1,717 public primary schools in Kwara State to ensure that no child is denied access to quality education because of financial constraints.”
He emphasized that the policy aligns with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s vision to promote free and qualitative basic education while reducing the financial burden on parents.
Highlighting the ongoing intervention projects, Adaramaja disclosed that they include the construction of new classroom blocks with offices and toilets, remodeling and renovation of old classrooms, drilling of solar-powered boreholes, rehabilitation of digital literacy centers, and procurement of foundational literacy materials.
Other key components, he said, involve the fabrication and distribution of two-seater pupils’ furniture and the implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative in selected local government areas to enhance learning safety and resilience.
The SUBEB chairman further revealed that Governor AbdulRazaq had approved the payment of the 2025 counterpart funds for UBEC/SUBEB projects, ensuring continued access to federal matching grants for educational development.
Adaramaja, however, cautioned contractors handling the projects to strictly adhere to technical specifications and timelines, warning that the state government would not tolerate substandard work.
The new funding policy, coupled with ongoing infrastructural and literacy development projects, underscores the Kwara State Government’s renewed commitment to revitalizing basic education and fostering inclusive access to quality learning environments across the state.
