(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Celebrations are an essential part of human culture, yet when they begin to overshadow purpose, they risk distorting values; the culture of lavish graduation parties for pupils as young as nursery and kindergarten has grown into a trend marked by flamboyance rather than academic merit.
Toddlers in miniature graduation gowns now parade in ceremonies that often rival the grandeur traditionally reserved for tertiary convocations.
While these celebrations may appear harmless, they have increasingly placed unnecessary financial pressure on parents and risk nurturing a culture of extravagance among children.
The Imo State Government’s recent ban on graduation parties for Nursery and JSS3 students is therefore not just a policy directive; it is a call for society to rethink how and when we celebrate milestones in a child’s education.
The ban, announced through a circular issued by the Imo State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Bernard Ikegwuoha, on August 15, 2025, directs schools to discontinue graduation ceremonies for Kindergarten, Nursery, and Junior Secondary School Three (JSS3) learners.
Under Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 education system, only Primary Six and Senior Secondary School Three (SS3) pupils are formally recognized as graduates
The circular went further to address another long-standing concern for parents: the annual change of textbooks by schools.
The government instructed that once a textbook is approved, it must be in use for a minimum of four years, allowing siblings to reuse books and easing the financial strain on families.
By linking the restriction on graduation parties with the textbook directive, the government positioned its policy not only as a moral intervention but also as a practical step toward reducing the rising cost of education.
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This position has since received strong backing from the National Orientation Agency (NOA), describing it as timely in curbing excesses and reinforcing values such as discipline, humility, and delayed gratification.
It also commended the textbook policy for easing the burden on parents and urged other states to take a similar course.
At the heart of this policy lies the question of values what exactly are we teaching children when we dress them in miniature gowns, host elaborate receptions, and glorify passage through stages that are, in reality, only transitional.
Graduation ceremonies at the nursery and junior secondary levels risk sending a dangerous signal that learning is less about discipline and perseverance, and more about the spectacle that accompanies it.
The danger in this narrative is that children begin to equate achievement with fanfare, rather than with the rigours of study and personal growth.
Financially, the burden is equally troubling.
Many parents, already stretched thin by rising school fees and the escalating cost of living, are compelled to participate in a culture of competition that adds little to a child’s development.
For some families, hosting or contributing to these ceremonies means diverting funds that could have been better invested in actual learning tools books, tutoring, or extracurricular activities that genuinely build capacity.
The government’s insistence on curbing this excess, therefore, is not simply about saving money, but about redirecting scarce resources to where they matter most.
Equally important is reinforcing the idea that true graduations occur only at the completion of primary and secondary school.
These ensures that children do not mistake every classroom transition for an achievement worthy of elaborate celebration , but rather grow to understand that education is a journey marked by discipline, patience, and genuine accomplishment.
In this way, the policy does more than regulate it reorients society toward values that nurture character and resilience.
Beyond finances, the move speaks to the urgent need for value reorientation.
At a time when society is increasingly defined by material display, reminding children and parents alike that education is not a stage managed performance but a lifelong commitment is both timely and necessary.
The real measure of learning lies not in the size of the party, but in the discipline, skills, and resilience that a child carries into the next stage of life.
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It also underscores the importance of consistency in educational policy.
Just as the textbook directive seeks to stabilise learning materials and reduce waste, the ban on premature graduation parties is a reminder that education policy should not only serve administrators or schools, but also protect families from exploitation and excess.
These two measures, taken together, sketch a vision of education that is affordable, disciplined, and focused on substance over show.
Equally troubling is the way some schools have turned graduation parties into compulsory projects, demanding fees from parents and creating an atmosphere where children who are unable to pay feel inferior to their peers.
For many of these pupils, the experience is deeply wounding some even break down in tears as they watch their peers celebrate in outfits and ceremonies they cannot be part of.
It is a psychologically troubling ordeal for children, and all for something that is, in truth, unnecessary at that stage of their education.
Such practices not only deepen inequality but also plant the wrong lessons about self-worth and achievement in young minds.
Finally, the policy challenges all stakeholders governments, schools, parents, and even faith-based institutions to rethink the traditions we pass on to the next generation.
Education should not be about spectacle, but about shaping values that prepare children for the realities of life.
If children learn from the earliest stages that success is tied to humility, responsibility, and perseverance, Nigeria will raise graduates not only of classrooms, but of character.
And in doing so, we will ensure that our education system produces not just certificates, but citizens equipped to build a more disciplined, responsible, and value driven society.