Governor approves package to retain teachers in rural areas

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has approved a discriminatory compensation package to incentivise teaching services in public schools in rural areas of the state.

Otti made this known at the December edition of his monthly media chat at the Government House in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, on Friday night.

The governor said the initiative would address the persistent challenge of staffing in hard-to-reach areas.

He stated that by offering tailored benefits to attract and retain educators, the government would be able to provide access to quality education in rural areas.

Otti said plans had been made to recruit more teachers to bridge the staffing gaps in underserved parts of the state.

Otti said: “What we have done in the last few weeks is to put in place a discriminatory compensation package to encourage people to serve in those areas.

“My understanding is that people received it very well and in the next few weeks we intend to see that it has worked so that we won’t have any institution or any school that is understaffed.”

He further noted that the government had made significant improvements in the education sector through the separation of management of basic and secondary education from tertiary education for better oversight.

On infrastructure development, Otti said several road projects had been completed and inaugurated for public use.

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The governor stated that the dualisation of Onuimo to Abia Tower and reconstruction of Ntigha-Mbawsi-Umuala Road and Umuopara Ring Road had commenced, adding that more road works would be commissioned before the end of the year.

He said through a collaboration between the Federal and Abia State Governments, the proposed Abia airport project was upgraded from an airstrip to a full-fledged airport.

According to him, the state government will provide the land and logistics required for the project.

Speaking on budget and planning, Otti said the 2025 proposed budget of N750.2 billion was designed, considering the effects of inflation and exchange rate depreciation.

Otti further stated that 82 per cent of the budget was allocated to capital expenditure and 18 per cent to recurrent, while in its breakdown, 20 per cent was given to education and 15 per cent to health.

On healthcare, the governor said 200 primary health care centres were being rehabilitated to ensure that each ward in Abia State gets at least one functional PHC.

Otti added that the Abia State Government, in line with its desire to improve workers’ welfare, had approved the payment of 13th month’s salary to workers in the state on or before December 18.

The Star