Newsbreak: Ondo Govt bans graduation ceremony in primary, secondary schools

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Ondo State Government has banned graduation ceremonies for nursery, primary, and junior secondary schools

The decision is aimed at bringing back glory and honour to primary and secondary schools where graduation ceremonies have become ego trips and profit harvest rituals orchestrated by greedy proprietors

According to Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, the Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, the move is part of a broader effort to sanitize the education sector.

Ajibefun stated, “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.”

The Commissioner emphasized that private schools operating without approval would be given a six-month grace period to regularize their status, warning that “when you run an unapproved school, you are running an illegal business.”

Ajibefun also highlighted other key measures, including a ban on compulsory extra lessons after regular school hours and the prohibition of excursions without Ministry clearance, citing security concerns.

On textbook usage, the Commissioner noted that schools would no longer exploit parents by insisting on new textbooks every year, saying, “siblings of a particular pupil can continue to use the same textbook for a period of time.”

The state government is also working on digitizing all schools, with plans to migrate students to the Ministry’s digital platform soon.

Ajibefun assured private school owners that the government would support them through policies that encourage quality education, emphasizing that “the private sector plays a critical role… you are major stakeholders in the education business.”