Osun State Government has announced 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.
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.
According to the Ministry, the celebrations, while intended to mark educational milestones, have increasingly commercialised early childhood education and placed unnecessary burdens on families.
The new policy specifies that graduation ceremonies and parties will now be restricted to Primary 6 pupils completing their primary education and Senior Secondary School 3 students finishing their secondary education.
The directive emphasised that the policy is designed to ensure that schools, parents, guardians, and stakeholders focus on academic achievements at the conclusion of formal primary and secondary education cycles.
Beyond ceremonies, the Ministry also issued new guidelines on textbook usage in public and private schools, particularly faith-based institutions.
The circular further explained 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.
The government warned that schools found violating these directives would face disciplinary action, which may include fines or the suspension of their registration.
