The Abia State Government has announced that graduation ceremonies will only be permitted for pupils completing Primary 6 and SS3, stating that such ceremonies will no longer be allowed in nursery schools.

The state government, which clarified that the ban on graduation ceremonies applies to both public and private schools in Abia, said it was intended to ease the financial burden on parents.

The new measure was announced by the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting, chaired by Governor Alex Otti.

He also explained that the decision followed consultations with stakeholders in the education sector in the state.

Also speaking at the briefing, Abia State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Goodluck Ubochi, said that nursery pupils and children in lower classes didn’t have to hold graduation ceremonies that compel parents to spend heavily.

Ubochi further announced the separation of textbooks from workbooks to allow younger siblings to reuse textbooks already used by their senior ones, while workbooks remain unique to each child.

The government also directed parents to ensure they collect their children’s basic education certificates, as many schools had complained that First School Leaving certificates were often abandoned.

To address this, schools have been instructed not to charge more than N2,000 for Primary 6 certificates.

Furthermore, the government made it compulsory for students enrolling for WAEC, NECO, or JAMB to present their basic education certificates, warning that no candidate will be admitted into SS3 without passing a state-organised mandatory promotion exam at SS2.