By Udeme Hosea

Public schools in Akwa Ibom State have recorded a combined enrolment of 858,273 pupils and students in the 2025/2026 academic session, following the state government’s sustained free and compulsory education policy.

Setting the tone for the ministerial briefing in Uyo on Monday, the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umanah, said the exercise was designed to give the media and the public accurate and verifiable data on what is happening across ministries and parastatals. He said the briefing will provide clear figures on school enrolment, bursary, infrastructure and other investments, noting that Governor Umo Eno has accorded high priority to education because no meaningful development can take place without knowledge and skills training.

Presenting the scorecard, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, disclosed that primary school enrolment rose from 401,212 in 2023/2024 to 426,457 in 2024/2025 and 441,939 in 2025/2026, while secondary school enrolment climbed from 390,721 to 416,334 within the same period. He said the increase shows public confidence in the free education programme.

Prof. Umoh said the enrolment achievement was backed by huge financial commitment, including about N6.87 billion spent on examination fees between 2023 and 2026 for Basic Education Certificate, WASSCE and Senior Science examinations, N65 million on science practical materials and over N616 million on uploading Continuous Assessment records for WAEC.

He added that the administration has constructed 31 model primary schools with fully furnished three-bedroom teachers’ quarters, water, electricity, fencing and WASH facilities, while pupils receive free uniforms, shoes, school bags and books. Stressing that, a total of 199 schools have also been rehabilitated by SUBEB.

The briefing also explained growth at the tertiary level, with degree programmes in Akwa Ibom State University increasing from 43 to 84 and student population from 9,082 to 11,423, alongside skills training for over 2,000 persons at Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre and a N160 million scholarship for a UNIUYO medical graduate to study at McGill University, Canada.

The Rector of Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre, Prof. Enoidem Usoro, said the centre has trained over 2,000 persons in various vocational and entrepreneurial skills since 2023. She explained that the training covers multiple trades designed to make beneficiaries self-reliant and reduce unemployment in the state.

Prof. Usoro added that state government-sponsored trainees enjoy free accommodation, feeding, training materials and starter packs, stressing that the intervention is part of Governor Umo Eno’s deliberate effort to link education with skills and enterprise development.