The Ondo State government has announced a ban on graduation parties for students in nursery and junior secondary schools.
Bisi Lawani, press officer at the state’s education ministry, issued a statement communicating the ban on Wednesday.
The decision, which follows similar actions by Benue and Imo states, is aimed at reducing the financial burden on parents and re-focusing attention on students’ academic achievements.
The PRO said Igbekele Ajibefun, the ministry’s commissioner, gave the directive during a stakeholder meeting with all proprietors and proprietresses in the state’s 18 LGAs.
“It is obvious that things have gone bad in the education sector; there are urgent issues we need to address so that we can bring back the lost glory,” Ajibefun was quoted as saying.
The new policy is a response to the growing trend of extravagant graduation ceremonies that place significant financial pressure on families.
In a related move, the government also plans to curb the proliferation of illegal and unregistered schools and will begin a re-accreditation process for all private schools in the state to ensure they meet quality standards.
This policy aligns with measures taken in other states. In Imo, only students graduating from primary 6 and senior secondary school are permitted to have graduation ceremonies.
On August 17, Imo’s commissioner for education Bernard Ikegwuoha addressed parents, guardians, and school proprietors in a memo dated August 15.
He said only primary 6 and senior secondary school students are permitted to hold graduation ceremonies in line with Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 education system.
Similarly, the Benue State education ministry has also prohibited graduation parties for kindergarten, nursery, and other basic school levels.
On August 21, Helen Nambativ, permanent secretary at Benue’s education ministry, also announced a ban on graduation parties usually organised by kindergarten, nursery and basic schools in the state.
TheCable
