In its commitment to providing quality and functional education to all students in Osun State, the State government has announced a ban on graduation ceremonies for Nursery and Kindergarten pupils.

The announcement was made in a statement released by the Osun State Ministry of Education signed by  its  Permanent Secretary, M. A. K. Jimoh, which also stated that  the ministry has established a new guideline for the Graduation ceremonies as well as textbook usage in public and private primary and secondary schools.

According to the Ministry, the decision was necessary as there have been serious concerns over the financial strain on parents and the loss of valuable  instructional time and the commercialisation of childhood education caused by the elaborate events.

The Ministry of Education stated that graduation ceremonies and parties will now be restricted to Primary 6 graduating pupils and Senior Secondary Schools, SSS 3 students.

While the ministry appreciated the efforts intended to celebrate educational milestones, it maintained that the guidelines are designed to ensure that parents, guardians, stakeholders and schools focus on academic achievements at the conclusion of students at the end of their primary and secondary education cycles.

On the new guidelines for textbook usage in public and private schools, proprietors of faith-based and private schools are required to adhere to the approved list of textbooks so as to promote stability and consistency in education.

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The statement explained that textbooks must be used for a period of three years to allow pupils and students use the textbook of their siblings, adding that the using of workbooks inside textbooks should stop with immediate effect.

The Ministry warned that schools found violating these directives would face appropriate disciplinary measures, including fines or the suspension of their registration, as monitoring teams will conduct random checks.