The Ebonyi State Government has approved an executive bill seeking the establishment of an Education Development Trust Fund to strengthen basic education across the state.
State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Ikeuwa Omebeh, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Abakaliki over the weekend on the outcome of Thursday’s Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Francis Nwifuru.
Omebeh said the bill has been transmitted to the State House of Assembly for legislative consideration. According to him, the Fund will serve as a sustainable financing mechanism to tackle challenges in basic education by mobilising resources from government taxes, development partners, corporate organisations, and well-meaning indigenes.
“It is designed to support priority investments such as infrastructure, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), ICT integration, teacher training, scholarships, school feeding, and transport systems,” Omebeh explained. The commissioner added that the Fund would be managed by a legally constituted Board in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective implementation.
He noted that the initiative would help rehabilitate classrooms, construct fences, toilets, and boreholes, as well as strengthen security measures and improve teacher training. Describing the plan as a transformative step, the government said the Education Development Trust Fund would provide a long-term solution to Ebonyi’s education challenges and secure a brighter future for children in the state.
