Graduation Galore: A Celebration Or Exploitation?

By Olufunmilayo Ojo

In recent years, graduation ceremonies have become a booming trend across Nigerian schools.

What was once a tradition reserved for universities and occasionally secondary schools has now found its way into crèches, nursery classes, primary schools, and even junior secondary schools.

Today, five-year-olds donning miniature graduation gowns, caps, and sashes is a common sight across cities and towns.

But behind the glitter and music lies a troubling story of commercialization, exploitation, and misplaced priorities.

For many parents, the joy of seeing their children “graduate” quickly turns into frustration when they confront the bills attached.

However, critics highlight the financial and social pressures these ceremonies place on parents, many of whom struggle to meet basic educational expenses such as school fees, books, and uniforms.

Schools compelling parents to buy new textbooks annually or “bundled” textbooks with associated workbooks that cannot be reused by siblings.

The cost of a single graduation ceremony, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of naira, can be overwhelming.

Parents sometimes face expectations to buy multiple attires, pay event fees, and sponsor parties, all in addition to regular school levies.

From hiring special uniforms, paying event fees, renting halls, and even funding after-parties, the financial demands are staggering. Some schools go as far as asking parents to buy customized clothes, pay for photography packages, or contribute to “entertainment funds.”

For working-class and low income families, these costs are unbearable. In many cases, children whose parents cannot afford the expenses are excluded, shattering their self-esteem and sense of belonging.

Schools, on their part, argued that such ceremonies help to instill confidence in pupils, reward hard work, and provide a sense of accomplishment.

Observers noted that what was once a meaningful academic celebration has been hijacked by schools as a money-making venture.

Private schools, in particular, exploit the ceremonies as marketing tools, using the pageantry to attract new pupils. Graduation events are packaged like social carnivals, with elaborate choreography, red carpets, souvenirs, and sometimes celebrity appearances.

Instead of prioritizing the improvement of learning facilities, teachers’ welfare, or curriculum quality, schools channel time and resources into pomp that benefits their image more than the pupils’ education.

Many critics have argued that “graduating” from nursery to primary or from primary to junior secondary is not a genuine academic milestone. Unlike finishing secondary school or earning a degree, these transitions are natural progressions in a child’s education journey.

Yet, schools cloak them with false significance, encouraging parents to see them as monumental achievements worth lavish spending. This not only dilutes the meaning of graduation but also breeds a culture of unnecessary competition among schools and parents.

Beyond the financial exploitation, there are concerns about the lessons children are learning. Graduation ceremonies at tender ages often emphasize showiness; new clothes, decorations, and parties, over the real purpose of schooling which is mainly about knowledge, discipline, and character.

When some children are excluded because their parents cannot pay, the result is humiliation and stigmatization, instilling feelings of inferiority that may linger for years.

Education stakeholders are increasingly calling for regulation and moderation. Simple end-of-term activities, class presentations, or open days could be used to celebrate children’s progress without burdening families.

True graduation ceremonies should be preserved for significant academic achievements, such as the completion of secondary and tertiary education.

Anything less risks turning education into a stage-managed spectacle, where profit and prestige outweigh genuine learning.

Meanwhile, some states have responded by introducing policies to curb the excesses, reduce costs, and protect parents.

Ekiti State Ban on graduation ceremonies for KG, nursery, primary, and secondary classes (except exit classes) for both public and private schools, starting from 2025/26 academic session. To reduce undue financial pressure on parents and curb excesses.

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Kogi State Outlawed graduation and signing-out ceremonies in basic, secondary, and tertiary institutions. Only exams‐exit graduations (after SSS 3) are to be allowed. Because the “incessant graduation ceremonies … are economically unaffordable, put undue pressure on parents … attract social ills.”

Osun State Banned graduation ceremonies for nursery/kindergarten levels; allowed only Primary 6 and SSS3 exit‐point graduations. Enforced textbooks reuse, banned combining textbooks with workbooks. To cut financial burdens, avoid loss of instructional time, and push back on commercialisation of early childhood education.

Abia State Graduation ceremonies limited to only Primary 6 pupils and Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3). Nursery, non-exit primary pupils, and non-exit secondary students banned from holding them. Also banned compulsory bundling of textbooks with workbooks. To save parents from exploitation, reduce excessive charges.

Imo State Bans Graduation Parties For Kindergarten, Nursery And JSS3 Pupils

Edo State Banned graduation ceremonies for nursery and primary schools; only modest ceremonies allowed at Basic Education exit points (JSS3) and Senior Secondary School exit (SSS3). Pre-basic levels and even Primary 6 restricted from graduation parties. Prom parties banned. Book reuse policy introduced. To reposition education, make life easier for parents, limit cost of textbooks, avoid annual textbook changes.

Imo State Memo banning graduation (or parties) for nursery and JSS3 pupils; also regulating textbooks (reuse, reduce annual changes). To ease financial strain on parents and focus mind on academic substance.

Ebonyi State Graduation ceremonies reserved only for basic education (JSS3) and SSS3. Nursery and Primary excluded. Schools must use approved textbooks, reusing them for multiple years. Consistent with Education Reform and to eliminate exploitative practices by schools and publishers.

These measures taken by state governments were to reduce the burden on parents as well as put checks on proprietors of private school excesses.

Despite the bans and directives, there is need for implementation and oversight. There should be steps to ensure enforcement, “Will private schools ignore the bans? Will there be sanctions? Some states mention disciplinary actions, but monitoring is required.

Banning flashy ceremonies is useful, but it must go together with improving quality, teacher training, infrastructure, learning materials, so that celebration is replaced with real substance.

The rise of graduation ceremonies in Nigerian nursery, primary, and junior secondary schools reveals more exploitation than celebration. What should be a joyful acknowledgement of learning has morphed into a profit-driven ritual that preys on parents’ emotions and children’s innocence.

Striking a balance between celebration and responsibility may be the best way forward, ensuring that children’s achievements are honored without burdening families or trivializing the concept of graduation.

The bans and regulatory steps taken by states like Ekiti, Kogi, Osun, Edo, Abia, Imo, and Ebonyi are promising signs that the system can self-correct when policy meets public concern.

The key going forward will be consistent enforcement, clear guidelines (what is “modest,” what levels are exit levels), and pairing these bans with investments in education quality so children actually benefit, not just in photos and theatrics, but in learning.

Olufunmilayo Adebomi Ojo is a Doctor of Philosophy in Mass Communication; A practicing Journalist, Lecturer and a Member of ASPCN, NIPR, NUJ and NAWOJ