The Osun State Government has introduced a ban on graduation ceremonies for nursery and kindergarten pupils across both public and private schools in the state. The announcement was made through the Osun State Ministry of Education in a circular dated September 19, 2025, and signed by the Permanent Secretary, M. A. K. Jimoh.
In the circular, seen by KIKISBLOG online on Friday, the ministry explained that the directive was necessitated by concerns over the financial strain on parents and the loss of instructional time caused by such elaborate events.
The circular stated that the practice of organising elaborate graduation ceremonies for Nursery and Kindergarten pupils has become increasingly common.
The Ministry has noted that celebrations intended to mark educational milestones have progressively commercialized early childhood education, resulting in unnecessary burdens on families.
Consequently, the new policy dictates that graduation ceremonies and parties will be limited to Primary 6 pupils completing their primary education and Senior Secondary School 3 students finishing their secondary education.
In this regard, the Ministry of Education hereby bans all graduation ceremonies for Nursery and Kindergarten pupils, with immediate effect.
The directive stressed that the policy aims to guarantee that schools, parents, guardians, and stakeholders concentrate on academic accomplishments at the end of formal primary and secondary education cycles.
Apart from ceremonies, the ministry has also issued new guidelines on textbook usage in public and private schools, especially faith-based institutions.
“Proprietors are now mandated to adhere strictly to an approved list of textbooks,” it stated.
The circular further clarified that “the textbooks must be used for a period of three years to allow siblings to benefit from them consecutively, while the practice of inserting workbooks inside textbooks should stop with immediate effect.”
In addition, “to promote stability and consistency in education, proprietors of faith-based and private schools are required to adhere to the approved list of textbooks.”
The government warned that schools found violating these directives would face disciplinary action, which may include fines or the suspension of their registration.
“We count on your full cooperation to uphold the integrity and purpose of education,” Jimoh concluded in the circular.
As reported by KIKISBLOG Online, the first step to address this issue was taken by Imo State governor Hope Uzodimma, and has since been replicated in multiple states, with Ekiti and Osun being the most recent.
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