The Benue State Government has banned graduation parties for kindergarten, nursery, and primary schools, saying the events place unnecessary financial pressure on parents and distract from academics.
Mrs Helen Nambativ, the acting Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, made this known on Tuesday in Makurdi. She warned that schools that fail to comply risk being shut down temporarily.
“This policy takes effect immediately,” she said. “We are putting measures in place to make sure schools obey. Any school that ignores the directive in the 2025/2026 session may not be allowed to operate.”
According to Nambativ, the new policy is designed to clean up the state’s basic education system. She added that a task force will soon be set up to monitor compliance.
A memo issued by the ministry on August 21 explained that the decision would reduce financial pressure on parents and ensure that attention is focused on the academic growth of children.
Part of the memo read, “The unpopular use of restricted, customised education materials, such as text and exercise books in Benue State schools, making them non-transferrable to subsequent learners, is hereby abolished. All schools are by this notice directed to revert automatically to the traditional practice of senior students and pupils passing books down to lower classes. Compulsory and extended lessons after regular school hours cease, except where parental rights are sought and granted. All compulsory school graduation ceremonies in Benue State are hereby abolished, especially for kindergarten, nursery, and basic schools.”
A school owner in Makurdi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the state should have consulted with stakeholders before implementing the ban. He explained that many schools had already bought the now-prohibited customised books and requested a one-year grace period.
However, some parents have welcomed the move. James Bemgba, a parent in Makurdi, said the government’s action would relieve families of unnecessary expenses. “Most schools force parents to pay for the graduation of kids who are less than three years old, and also buy books unnecessarily,” he said.
The development follows similar actions in other states. Ondo recently banned nursery and JSS3 graduation ceremonies, while Edo and Kano issued restrictions on unauthorised celebrations in state-owned schools. Sokoto has also prohibited sign-out activities by graduating secondary school students over misconduct concerns.
