Ogun bans kindergarten, nursery school graduation parties

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, announced the decision on Thursday while briefing journalists on the state’s readiness for the 2024/2025 academic session.

He stated that graduation ceremonies would henceforth only be permitted for pupils completing Primary Six, Junior Secondary School Three, JSS3, and Senior Secondary School Three, SS3.

Several state governments, including Imo, Edo, Ebonyi and Benue, have also introduced similar bans on nursery and primary school graduation parties to ease financial pressures on parents and curb exploitative practices by some school proprietors.

Prof. Arigbabu explained that the decision was aimed at discouraging the culture of excess often associated with graduation events at other levels. He stressed that such ceremonies should be modest and reflect genuine academic milestones rather than becoming extravagant social occasions.

Elaborate parties for kindergarten, nursery or other non-transition classes, he added, have placed unnecessary financial burdens on parents and distracted from the fundamentals of education.

The commissioner also directed that schools must adhere to a six-year cycle before making any changes to textbooks, stressing that no school is permitted to alter its booklist until the current ones have been used for at least six academic years.

“Quality education does not depend on frequent textbook changes but on effective teaching and the proper use of available resources,” he said.

According to him, the policy will help ease the financial strain on parents, many of whom are forced to buy new textbooks almost every session. He noted that the ministry would strictly monitor compliance and warned that schools imposing needless textbook changes would face sanctions.

Meanwhile, he assured parents, teachers and school administrators that the decision was in the best interest of pupils and families, urging all stakeholders to support the initiative.