Abeokuta | September 12, 2025 — The Ogun State Government has issued new directives to schools, barring extravagant graduation ceremonies and enforcing stricter rules on textbook usage, as part of measures to reduce the financial pressure on parents and restore focus to the core goals of education.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, disclosed the policies on Thursday while briefing journalists on preparations for the 2024/2025 academic session.
Under the new guidelines, graduation parties will now be restricted to pupils completing Primary Six, Junior Secondary School Three (JSS3), and Senior Secondary School Three (SS3). According to Arigbabu, the move is designed to curb excesses and discourage lavish celebrations at non-transition levels such as nursery and kindergarten.
“Graduation ceremonies should be modest and reflect true academic milestones, rather than turning into lavish social events,” the commissioner said, noting that unnecessary fanfare had burdened parents financially and diverted attention from the essence of education.
In addition, the state government directed that no school should change prescribed textbooks until after a minimum six-year cycle. Arigbabu explained that the rule was introduced to address frequent, costly changes that force parents to buy new books almost every academic session.
“Quality education does not depend on frequent textbook changes but on effective teaching and the proper use of available resources,” he added, warning that violators would face sanctions.
The commissioner assured that the Ministry of Education would monitor compliance with the new directives, stressing that they form part of Ogun State’s broader reforms to make education more affordable, impactful, and sustainable.
He urged parents, teachers, and school administrators to support the initiative, insisting that the policies were in the best interest of both learners and families.