ImoStategovernor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha yesterday put to rest doubts over his administrations free education programme forImoStateindigenes at the tertiary institutions with the issuance of cheques to the students.
Governor Okorocha during a parley with the Independent publishers association disclosed that with the signing of the cheques, that government will commence with the disbursement to the students within the next few weeks.
Okorocha who expressed reservation over peoples fears that he will renage in the promise, said that part of the cardinal focus of his administration is to provide quality and qualitative free education for all Imo sons.
He said that in his NO TEACHER, NO SCHOOL PROGRAMME, that he has already recruited two thousand school teachers to compliment with what is already available in the school system.
According to the Governor, the essence of the additional teachers recruitment is to raise the standard of teacher / pupil ratio to one teacher to thirty five pupils.
Okorocha further explained that apart from the release of two hundred thousand naira (N200,000) imprest to each of the state schools, that government also approved the sum of ten thousand naira (N10,000) to teachers in the state as their wardrobe allowances.
Also available for distribution to the pupils include shoes, sandals and uniforms in line with his election promises. Adding that since the announcement of his free education programme, that the school enrolment ratio in the state has increased by one hundred percent.
Still on the education sector, Governor Okorocha disclosed the establishment of the Imo State College of Advanced Professionals,ImoStateScientistCollege,LoyolaJesuitUniversitywhile the abandonedImoStateUniversitysite Ogboko now to host aTurkishUniversity.
He also disclosed that he has within the last one year in office attracted a maritime university at Oguta while Imo Polytechnic will have campuses at Orlu and Okigwe respectively.
Okorocha, made it clear that he dropped the relocation ofImoStateUniversityto Ogboko because of the controversy it degenerated and harped on the need for the people of the state to cooperate with his administration in his efforts to serve them better.
