Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has said his administration will spend 30 percent of the 2024 state budget on the education sector, stressing that education remains the state’s greatest weapon against poverty.
Mbah emphasized his administration’s determination to ensure that the poorest child in the remotest parts of Enugu State receives world class education using tools of the 21st century.
He made the revelation while delivering a keynote address at the 19th convocation of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Agbani, on Saturday, where 9,017 graduates received various first and higher degrees.
Governor Mbah, who is also the Visitor to the university, said the most radical changes in the education under his administration would take place in the area of basic education.
“In my view, education is probably our greatest weapon in our war against poverty in the medium to long run.
“It is for this reason that education is at the core of the strategy, which we envisage will see us boost our GDP from the current levels of about $4.4 billion to at least $30 billion by the end of 2031.
“This is why we have designed and are implementing a most revolutionary strategy to revamp the current educational system. This revamp will be extensive and exhaustive, ranging from the basic schools through secondary to tertiary institutions like ESUT.
“There will be changes not only in the curricula, but also in the models for delivering knowledge in our educational institutions. The most radical change will take place in our basic schools where our children spend the first nine years schooling.
“Therefore, in 2024, we will be spending close to 30 percent of our state budget on education, well above the recommended international benchmark”, the governor said.
Mbah said his administration had completed the construction of one smart school, awarded a contract for the construction of another nine, while 250 more would be constructed in less than 14 months to cover the entire 260 wards, adding that teachers for the pilot model school were already undergoing training by global experts.
