Temisan Olaifa, with agency news
Education stakeholders in Oyo, Ogun and Kwara States have responded differently to the ban on graduation ceremonies in nursery, primary and junior secondary schools in some states.
The respondents expressed their divergent views in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan, Abeokuta and Ilorin on Friday.
While some stakeholders, including parents, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), argued in support, others called for a review.
In Ibadan, the NUT Oyo State Chairman, Mr Raji Oladimeji, stated that while the ban was intended to check excess levies and extortion of parents, its merits and demerits should be weighed.
He noted that although graduation ceremonies were often more social than academic, they motivate pupils.
“On the positive side, graduation ceremonies can inspire seriousness toward education and encourage pupils to see a brighter future ahead.
“While protecting parents from exploitation is important, completely banning the ceremonies may not be the best solution; a balance should be struck,” Oladimeji said.
Also, the National Secretary, NAPPS, Dr Kayode Adeyemi, described the ban as a move to divert attention from the real problems confronting Nigerians.
According to him, many parents demand such ceremonies as a way of celebrating milestones in their children’s education.
He, therefore, stressed that outlawing them would not address the hyperinflation and hardship facing households.
“The rush to ban what parents consider a source of joy does nothing to address the pressing issues of survival.
“What government should do, instead of this vindictive approach, is to review its economic policies, which continue to burden citizens while servicing the expenses of a few ruling elites,” Adeyemi said.
States like Edo, Ondo and Imo recently announced the banning of such graduation ceremonies.
They explained that the ban was intended to curb exploitative practices in schools and reduce financial pressure on parents who are compelled to pay for gowns, parties, and other expenses.
A parent, Mrs Olubunmi Aina, however, said the ban of what she called ‘unnecessary ceremonies’ would ease the burden on parents.
“The schools are just making money from parents, who are also not concerned about the benefits such ceremonies present,” Aina said.
Another parent, Mr Yomi Akande, says that although it helps to preserve important moments in a child’s growth, making it voluntary will be better.
Akande noted that if made voluntary, it would help parents to make informed decisions on whether to be a part of it or not.
Meanwhile, in Abeokuta, the Secretary, NUT, Ogun Chapter, Mr Samson Oyeleye, noted that graduation of any kind should be for certification.
The NUT secretary said that graduation in such classes amounted to policy derailing, blaming excesses of school proprietors for the current situation.
“It is not giving us any direction; our policy on education does not support what is happening presently in those schools.
“Graduation should only come up at the point of certification; you can talk about the Junior Secondary Schools, where they have Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), and they can graduate because there will be a certificate.
“You can also talk of the Senior Secondary Schools, where they have their West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) certificate, and they can graduate to higher institutions.
“If we are now having graduation in nursery, kindergarten and primary classes, then we can say that this is a policy derailing in our education.
“It’s just a way of cajoling the parents to offer what they have for the purpose of ripping them off their hard-earned money,” he said.
The state NUT secretary, however, notes that such ceremonies have psychological effects on the children.
He urged the state government to protect the education system by taking the necessary steps.
Mrs Toyin Oyelumade, a parent in Abeokuta, describing the decision as a welcome development, says many school authorities use the ceremonies to extort parents.
Oyelumade said graduation ceremonies were meant for students leaving for higher institutions of learning.
She called on the relevant authorities to assist parents in ending the practice in lower classes.
However, a school proprietor in Abeokuta, who pleaded anonymity, said the ceremonies in lower classes were not meant to extort parents but to celebrate the children.
According to the proprietor, the ceremonies will help the children appreciate the beauty of moving into a new class.
From Kwara, parents expressed their dissatisfaction with the practice, calling on the state government to execute a ban.
A parent, Mrs Comfort Taiwo, described it as a show-off and a waste of resources, which shouldn’t be allowed to continue.
Taiwo called on Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara to emulate his counterparts in states that had implemented the ban.
“It is a misplaced priority by schools to organise a graduation ceremony for pupils; there is a need to ban it completely from the system,” she said.
Another parent, Mrs Kaosarat Bello, described the ban in the affected states as timely and good for academic growth in the country.
Bello said that most schools prioritise party over academic excellence, thereby investing their energy in organising what she called a wild party in the name of graduation.
“They are just extorting parents, as most of us are not happy with the forceful extraction of money from us.
“They should stop breeding competition among parents over the jamboree party,” she said.
On her part, a parent, Mrs Ibukun Aina, said such ceremonies were misleading and distracting pupils from the reality of life.
“There is life after nursery school—allow them to know what to prepare for in the future. The graduation ceremony is not worth it,” she said.
Describing the nation’s economy as unfriendly, another parent, Alhaja Kudirat Akeem, explained that school owners should learn to be considerate.
“The economy is too harsh and not friendly; thus, school owners should stop making life more difficult for parents; they should be reminded that fingers are not equal,” she said.
A trader, Mr Ganiyu Ahmed, said the ban should be made national and not restricted to individual states.
“The Federal Government should act fast and protect parents from the consistent extortion and inconveniences.
“Education stakeholders should act fast. It is getting out of hand. How can a parent pay a huge amount of money for kindergarten or nursery school children, all in the name of graduation?
“Enough is enough, lest we embark on a protest if something is not done on time,” he said.
