The Osun State Government has banned graduation ceremonies for nursery and kindergarten pupils in all public and private schools across the state.
The government also directed faith-based proprietors and private schools to adopt only approved textbooks, which must be used for a minimum of three years to allow siblings to reuse them.
The directive was contained in a circular issued and signed by Muritala Jimoh, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education on Friday.
According to the policy, graduation ceremonies will now be limited to pupils completing Primary Six and students in Senior Secondary School Three (SSS3).
“While we appreciate efforts to celebrate educational mile stones, the current trend has raised serious concerns regarding the financial burden on parents, loss of valuable instructional time and the commercialization of early childhood education.”
On textbooks usage, Jimoh said, “to promote stability and consistency in education, proprietors of faith based and private schools are required to adhere to the approved list of textbooks. These textbooks are designed to be used for a period of three years, allowing children (pupils and students) to use the textbook of their sibling for three consecutive years. In addition, using of workbook inside the textbook should stop henceforth to ensure that the textbook is not only for a session.”
He said monitoring teams would conduct random checks to enforce compliance, warning that any school found violating the directive risks fines or suspension of registration.
“We count on your full cooperation to uphold the integrity and purpose of education,” the circular added.
