By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo and Idowu Adebomi, Ado-Ekiti
In a move to reduce the financial strain on parents, two Nigerian states, Osun and Ekiti, have independently announced a ban on graduation ceremonies for younger students.
The new policies, which target nursery, kindergarten, and in some cases, junior secondary school students, are aimed at curbing the commercialization of education and redirecting focus back to learning.
Osun State’s policy
The Osun State Ministry of Education has banned all graduation ceremonies for nursery and kindergarten pupils in both public and private schools.
According to a circular signed by Permanent Secretary M.A.K. Jimoh, only students completing Primary 6 and SSS3 are permitted to hold graduation ceremonies.
The Ministry stated that the decision was made to combat the commercialization of early childhood education, reduce the loss of instructional time, and alleviate the financial pressure on families.
Additionally, the new policy mandates that schools use a fixed list of textbooks for a minimum of three years and stop using workbooks inside textbooks.
This will allow students to reuse books across different sessions and even pass them down to siblings. The state has warned that it will conduct random checks and fine or suspend the registration of schools that do not comply.
Ekiti follows suit
Similarly, the Ekiti State Government has banned graduation ceremonies for all pupils in kindergarten, nursery, primary, and secondary schools.
The policy, which will take effect from the 2025/2026 academic session, is also intended to curb the financial burden on parents and address the excesses associated with these events.
The Ekiti state government has also changed its book review policy, reducing the frequency to once every six years for primary schools and once every four years for secondary schools.
This change, coupled with the ban, will allow families to pass down textbooks, promoting affordability and sustainability.
The decision comes after the National Orientation Agency (NOA) called on the state to follow the example of Ondo State in banning such ceremonies, arguing that school proprietors have been milking parents for profit.
While many parents have welcomed the new directive, some have criticized the delay in the announcement, as they had already purchased new textbooks for the current academic year before the circular was released.