The Abia Government has inaugurated a State Safe School Steering Committee to safeguard educational institutions in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Okey Kanu, made this known on Monday during a media briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting, in Umuahia.
Kanu said that the development formed part of the State Government’s strategic efforts to safeguard lives and property in Abia, especially with recent security concerns around the country with respect to safety of schools.
He said: “This is in response to the growing need to safeguard educational institutions in the state, following emerging security concerns around the country.
“During the inauguration, it was highlighted that the committee will serve as a multi-sectoral strategic platform to coordinate state-level implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration.
“The safe schools declaration includes developing and monitoring safety and protection protocols for schools across the state.
“Others include to engage stakeholders from the education, security, humanitarian and civil sectors, and to mobilize financial and technical resources for safer learning spaces across the state.”
Kanu also said that the government had announced the resumption of schools statewide for the second term of the 2025/2026 academic session.
He said that education officers, covering basic and secondary levels, would monitor compliance to ensure all public schools reopened as scheduled.
Kanu said that work was in progress on smart school projects being executed by the state government, recording major milestones in infrastructure, equipment and teacher training for smart schools.
He added that two smart schools may be inaugurated in February, following substantial completion.
On teacher recruitment, Kanu said that the second batch exercise attracted 28,213 applications between Nov. 6 and Nov. 29, 2025.
He said that applicants were given a verification window to correct details, which would close this week, after which computer-based tests would be conducted.
Kanu added that those who pass the tests would proceed to interviews, as there were plans to employ 4,000 additional teachers from the exercise, adding to the 5,394 teachers recruited in the previous year.
He said that as part of the government’s efforts to digitise the Abia Public Service operations in the state, some major digital milestones had been recorded.
Kanu disclosed that the government, through the Office of the Chief Information Officer, in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, had established a Document Digitisation Bureau for land records and processing.
He also that the government had also introduced a centralised online recruitment platform to promote access and equity in public sector employment.
Kanu further said that the Abia Government website had been redesigned and now served as the primary source of official information about the state.
He said that the government further implemented an e-Health project, with six pilot institutions automating medical records and hospital management systems.
The Commissioner added that laptops had been procured and distributed to all senior government officials to support efficient and digital service delivery.
