Ondo Govt Bans Graduation Ceremonies In Primary, Junior Secondary Schools

Ondo Govt Bans Graduation Ceremonies In Primary, Junior Secondary Schools

The Ondo State Government has prohibited private schools from holding graduation ceremonies for nursery, primary, and Junior Secondary School (JSS) students.

Announcing the decision on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Education, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, explained that it formed part of the state’s efforts to sanitize and reposition the education sector.

According to him, the government’s new directives also include the closure of illegal or unregistered schools, the re-accreditation of all private schools for quality assurance, and the ban on nursery school graduation ceremonies.

Speaking at a meeting with proprietors and proprietresses of schools across the 18 local government areas in Akure, Ajibefun emphasized that the government was committed to reforming education while also supporting private school operators through favorable policies.

The Commissioner said, “My interactions start with private school owners because the private sector plays a critical role as you are major stakeholders in the education business. It is more serious than any other business.

“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.”

He disclosed that illegally operating schools would be granted a six-month grace period to regularize their approval status, with conditions for accreditation also set to be reviewed to make the process easier.

“When you run an unapproved school, you are running an illegal business. This administration will not allow illegalities, and that is the reason we are reviewing it. In the next couple of weeks, the new conditions will be rolled out. All private schools operating in the state must meet minimum standards.

“We are also banning elaborate graduation ceremonies, especially for nursery and JSS classes in state.”

The commissioner warned that schools must no longer organize excursions without clearance from the Ministry of Education, citing security concerns in the country.

He also advised against making extra lessons compulsory after regular school hours.

On the issue of textbooks, Ajibefun said the government had outlawed the yearly imposition of new books on parents, insisting that siblings should be allowed to reuse the same textbooks for a reasonable period.

He further revealed that the state was already working on digitizing all schools, adding that soon, pupils and students in both primary and secondary schools would be migrated to the Ministry’s digital education platform.