Ondo State has banned graduation ceremonies for nursery and JSS3 pupils, calling them exploitative and costly.
The Education Commissioner said only Primary Six and SS3 pupils may hold official graduations.
The Ondo State Government has announced a ban on graduation ceremonies for nursery and Junior Secondary School (JSS3) pupils, describing the practice as exploitative and an unnecessary financial burden on parents.
The Commissioner for Education, Mr. Femi Ajibefun, disclosed this in Akure on Wednesday during a meeting with proprietors of private schools. He explained that only Primary Six and Senior Secondary School (SS3) pupils, who represent the recognized exit points in the education system, are permitted to hold graduation ceremonies.
Ajibefun said the decision followed complaints that some schools were compelling parents to spend heavily on elaborate ceremonies, uniforms, and souvenirs. He also condemned the trend of forcing parents to purchase new textbooks every academic session, stressing that siblings should be able to use the same instructional materials for a period of time to reduce household expenses.
The commissioner revealed that the state government is at an advanced stage of digitizing schools, with plans to migrate students in public primary and secondary schools onto a centralized digital learning platform. According to him, the move will promote accountability, ensure uniform standards across schools, and improve access to quality education.
He further warned proprietors against lowering academic standards, insisting that any school that fails to meet the government’s “irreducible minimum” requirements risks being shut down.
The Ondo decision follows similar moves by Edo, Imo, and Benue states, which recently outlawed graduation ceremonies in nursery and basic schools, alongside the use of customized textbooks.
