The Kwara State Government has abolished the payment of Parents Teachers Association (PTA) levies in all public primary schools, replacing the fees with annual school grants.
Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof. Shehu Adaramaja, announced the development at the opening of bids for the 2024 (3rd and 4th quarters) UBEC/SUBEB intervention projects in Ilorin.
He said Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had approved the policy, which will see the government provide running costs for all 1,717 public primary schools across the state.
“With this approval, there will be no more payment of PTA levies in Kwara State, from Primary 1 to 6. The government will now bear the responsibility of funding the schools,” Adaramaja stated.
The SUBEB chairman further disclosed that the governor also approved the procurement of English and Mathematics textbooks for free distribution to pupils in public primary schools.
On the ongoing intervention projects, Adaramaja explained that they would cover the construction of new classroom blocks with offices and toilets, remodeling of existing classrooms, drilling of solar-powered boreholes with tank stands, rehabilitation of digital literacy centres, provision of foundation literacy materials, and fabrication of two-seater pupils’ desks. The Safe Schools Initiative will also be implemented in selected local government areas.
He added that Governor AbdulRazaq had approved payment of the state’s 2025 counterpart funds for UBEC/SUBEB projects, and cautioned contractors to adhere strictly to specifications, warning that substandard work would not be tolerated.
Adaramaja commended the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hajiya Aisha Garba, and other stakeholders for their roles in sustaining the programme.
Responding on behalf of contractors, Maroof Ahmed, Secretary of the Indigenous Contractors Association, thanked the government for the opportunity and pledged that members would deliver quality projects on schedule to meet public expectations.
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