Lagos — Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) Wednesday launched the state's free textbook initiative, with a total of 5, 925,000 books worth about N2.9 Billion.

The books are to be distributed, within the next one month, to more than 1 million pupils in the state's nursery, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools, irrespective of their states of origin.

Fashola, who performed the launching at the Government Technical College, Ikeja, said a total of 1, 778, 000 of the books will go to primary schools; 2, 804, 000 to junior secondary and 1, 343, 000.

Each beneficiary will receive between four and five textbooks, variously covering the core subjects of English language, mathematics, the sciences, computer studies, agricultural Science and Yoruba.

He said the initiative was to ensure that the free education being offered by the government was qualitative and the investment in the sector productive and useful for the future.

"The impact will most certainly be marked improvement in both the quality of education and enrolment levels in these schools. For us, substantial investment in education is one of the necessary and indispensable conditions for the successful transformations and sustenance of Lagos as Africa 's model mega-city", he said.

Although the books are to be distributed free to the pupils, the Governor stressed that "These books are not free. There were bought with tax payers' money, for the benefit of tax payers' children."

The launching was done simultaneously in the six education districts in the state.