The Imo State government has stopped schools from organising graduation parties for nursery and Junior Secondary School 3 students, saying the practice puts unnecessary financial pressure on parents.
The directive was contained in a memo issued by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Bernard Ikegwuoha, and circulated to parents, guardians, and school owners over the weekend. He explained that the new policy takes immediate effect across public and private schools in the state.
According to the memo, graduation ceremonies will now be restricted to Primary 6 pupils and Senior Secondary 3 students, in line with Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 education structure. The government said the measure was introduced to ensure that attention is given to students’ academic progress rather than social events.
Alongside the ban, the commissioner also ordered schools to stop changing textbooks every year. He stated that textbooks must now remain in use for at least four years so that siblings can share learning materials. Proprietors of private and faith-based schools were directed to follow the approved list of books without yearly changes.
Ikegwuoha noted that frequent textbook changes had become financially draining for families and contributed to instability in the education system. By enforcing the four-year usage policy, the government aims to ease parents’ burden while creating a stable and effective learning environment for students.


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