Many schools in Taraba State are facing severe challenges, including overcrowded classrooms, insufficient furniture, and a lack of basic learning materials, despite the state government’s free and compulsory education policy.

Governor Agbu Kefas launched the initiative shortly after his inauguration in May 2023, presenting it as a major reform aimed at easing the financial burden on families and significantly reducing the number of out-of-school children.

Two years into the policy, the reality on the ground tells a different story. While student enrollment has increased sharply, the critical infrastructure to support the policy—classrooms, qualified teachers, and learning materials—has lagged far behind.

Classrooms designed for 30 students now hold more than 70, forcing many pupils to sit on bare floors. Laboratories exist mostly in name, stripped of equipment and supplies. Teachers are overwhelmed, school discipline is deteriorating, and safety has become a major concern, highlighted by the recent killing of teacher Bassey Sardauna.

“This is not free education; this is organized suffering,” a frustrated parent in Jalingo told SaharaReporters. “Our children attend school, but they aren’t learning. Sometimes they don’t even have seats.” Another resident added, “The government opened the gates but left the classrooms empty.”

Promises to build 60 model schools across the state have largely failed to materialize, with many projects abandoned at the foundation or lintel stages. Teachers and administrators report having insufficient resources, low support, and reliance on inadequate government subventions. Some even pool personal funds to buy basic supplies like chalk.

A secondary school teacher in Wukari summarized the situation: “We have the students, but we don’t have the teachers, the materials, or support. We are being set up to fail.”

Two years after its launch, Taraba’s free education program appears more symbolic than functional—strong in promises, weak in execution, leaving the state’s public education system under immense strain.