Imo bans graduation ceremony for nursery school pupils, JSS3 students, restricts textbook changes
The Imo state government has banned graduation ceremonies for kindergarten, nursery, and junior secondary school 3 (JSS3) students, while also prohibiting schools from changing textbooks every academic year.
The ban is contained in a policy memo dated August 15, signed by Bernard Ikegwuoha, the commissioner for education in Imo.
Titled “Policy on Education for Public and Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Imo State,” the document was addressed to parents, guardians, school proprietors, and other stakeholders in the education sector.
According to the memo, graduation ceremonies are now restricted to pupils completing Primary 6 and students finishing senior secondary school 3 (SSS3), in line with Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 education structure.
“This policy seeks to redirect attention to the academic milestones of learners at the completion of primary and secondary education, rather than at interim stages,” the memo reads.
The government also banned the yearly change of textbooks, describing the practice as exploitative and burdensome for parents.
Ikegwuoha directed that all approved textbooks must remain in use for at least four years, enabling families to reuse them for siblings and reduce financial strain.
He warned proprietors of private and faith-based schools against deviating from the government’s approved booklist, stressing that frequent textbook changes disrupt curriculum consistency and undermine the quality of education.
“Proprietors are warned to desist from frequent change of textbooks every academic year, as this practice can be financially burdensome for parents and detrimental to effective teaching and learning,” Ikegwuoha said.
The new policy takes immediate effect.
