By Obike Ukoh
When Adiele Afigbo, the eminent professor of History, was the Commissioner for Education in old Imo State in 1984, he banned primary and pre-primary schools from staging graduation ceremonies.
He said that the wearing of academic gowns at that stage cannot be tolerated, as the pupils were just transiting.
Afigbo queried “ What is it to celebrate that a child just finished nursery or primary school, and is about to enter the next level of education career?’’
The commissioner did not ban staging of send-off ceremonies, but only graduation ceremonies, characterized by the wearing of academic gowns.
About 41 years after Afigbo’s position on the issue, it has re-echoed again, as some states have followed the footsteps of the eminent scholar.
Some states have recently barred school authorities from further organizing graduation ceremonies, as the event is now characterized by extortion and other unethical practices. The states that had wielded the slag hammer are: Ebonyi, Ekiti, Osun, Abia, among others.
In Ebonyi, Commissioner for Education Dr Donatus Ilang, said that “Graduation ceremonies are exclusively reserved for pupils and students who have completed basic education (JSS3) and Senior Secondary (SSS3).
“In view of the above, pre-basic (kindergarten/nursery) and primary 6 are banned from holding graduation ceremonies forthwith.’’
Abia State Government also banned graduation ceremonies for nursery school pupils, as well as primary school pupils and secondary school students who are not in exit classes.
The government said the decision is binding on both private and public schools.
Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State’s Executive Council meeting.
The decision, according to him, was taken to save parents from exploitation by school proprietors.
He further explained that education stakeholders in the state had already taken a similar position following complaints by parents.
“Let me also inform you that recently, there was an education stakeholders’ meeting, involving the state heads of basic education, officials of WAEC, NECO, NUT, ANCOPS, ETA, publishers, NAMSAN, etc.,” said Kanu.
According to the Information Commissioner, “Abia State Government has agreed that going forward, graduation ceremonies in our schools would only be limited to primary 6 pupils and SSS3 students.”
He further said: “All these graduation ceremonies are creating a deep hole in the pockets of parents across the state, so they took that decision to ensure that parents stop complaining in that regard.”
Contributing, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi, said the decision was taken after wide consultation.
“Major decisions were taken as it had to do with the economy of our parents. So we limited the graduation ceremonies to only those who are exiting the primary or secondary school level of education.’’
The commissioner said that graduation is outrightly outlawed in nursery schools.
However, stakeholders have expressed divergent views on the ban.
Dr Uko Oko Igbokwe, former Deputy Education Secretary, Abia State Secondary Education Management Board, in his contribution, kicked against the ban.
According to him, inasmuch as the government has the right to regulate the rules of the practice of education in their respective states, it did not give them the right to interfere with the academic freedom of teachers in dispensing knowledge.
The graduation ceremony is one of the built-in academic exercises that teachers employ to motivate pupils and students to aim for higher academic achievements, and it also gives parents the optimism that their children or wards are really doing well.
“We cannot only measure leadership with pecuniary interest; indeed, educational rewards bring in the highest moral values parents bequeath to their children.
“Graduation ceremonies were introduced by the ancient Greek society, and it is a practice all over the world.
“Why then will it be subjected to the economic hardship, which the leader ab initio imposed on the society,’’ Igbokwe queried.
In Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti states, public opinion is divided, with some teachers and students lamenting the loss of celebratory joy, while others, including parents, support the move as it would reduce extravagance.
In Osun, the Commissioner for Education, Mr Dipo Eluwole, said the state government officials visited private schools regularly to monitor their activities to deter any signing out or graduation ceremonies.
“We also meet regularly with the leadership of private schools, during which we inform and instruct them to moderate the fees they charge and collect for their end-of-the-year parties,” the commissioner said.
Also, the Vice-Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) in Osun, Mr James Oluwole, said that the state government had not decided on the cancellation of graduation parties in primary and junior secondary schools in the state.
However, he said that the association would continue to ensure that graduation parties were conducted moderately to avoid unnecessary expenses for parents.
A former Head of the Department of Arts and Science Education, Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Adebayo Obadiora, urged school proprietors to moderate graduation ceremonies in primary and junior secondary schools.
Obadiora, who suggested the moderation instead of an outright ban, decried the exploitation of parents by school owners. He added that the ceremony should be an opportunity to appreciate students, not to exploit parents.
Obadiora advised school proprietors to moderate the fees being charged and to avoid using graduation gowns.
Similarly, Mr Kolawole Ologede, a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, representing Akure North Constituency, said that a ban on the graduation ceremony was a welcome development.
“All these ceremonies are to siphon money from parents. As a lawmaker, I know how much I have worked to help my constituents who needed to pay for their children’s graduation ceremonies.
“I was surprised when somebody said her child wanted to graduate from kindergarten to the nursery class.
“We are glad that the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has taken steps to address this,” Ologede, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Science and Technology, said.
However, Mr Pius Akinseye, Proprietor of HAPA College, Oba-Ile in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, said the activities conducted on the graduation day were not only for graduating students.
“Part of the activities on the day are to reward students who have excelled in their different classes and subjects.
“Also, we acknowledge staff who have put in their best throughout that academic session and students who have behaved well, dressed well, and attended to the school’s activities positively,” he stated.
He added that the graduation ceremony day would also allow parents and school management to interact.
Similarly, Mrs Deborah Fakorede, the Proprietress of the Bright Track Nursery and Primary School, Oba-Ile, Akure, acknowledged that the ceremony had been abused by some schools.
“The primary objective of the end-of-session party, called a graduation ceremony, is not to raise money or to extort parents. The purpose is to showcase what pupils have learnt in that academic session to parents and invitees. And it’s to celebrate the children for their success in the session.
“I will not agree with the government banning it; rather, it can be regulated. These children need to be celebrated,” she said.
Mrs Shola Mafimisebi, Proprietress of Hope and Favour School, noted that the graduation parties should not be an avenue to extort money from parents, but rather, it is to make the children happy and boost their morale to continue their education to the university level.
“The ban is not in the right direction because the graduation ceremony boosts the pupils’ morale to be studious. It’s not extortion as being viewed by many parents,” she said.
In Ekiti, an educationist, Mr Kolade Agboola, who spoke, said that the ban would reduce financial pressure on parents who could not afford the expensive ceremonies.
According to him, the ban will also help to focus on learning and minimise competition, and unnecessary show-off, or class division.
A former education inspector, Mrs Olufunke Olaniran, said the Ministry of Education or Parent-Teacher Associations could set policies limiting costs and activities.
Olaniran said that schools should promote non-material rewards, with emphasis on certificates, handshakes, and encouraging words over flashy gifts and decorations.
It is clear from the outpour of stakeholders that the graduation ceremony is desirable. What is required is to give strict guidelines on modalities for celebration.
