ANCOPSS and NAPPS Should Prioritize Prize-Giving, Not Graduation Ceremonies
By the Education Task Force, Kogi State
In recent years, schools across Kogi State have increasingly embraced the trend of staging elaborate “graduation ceremonies” for pupils at every level — nursery, primary, and even junior secondary. While these occasions may look colorful and exciting, they present more challenges than benefits for parents, pupils, and the education sector.
Why Graduation Ceremonies Are Problematic
Undue Financial Burden on Parents
Many families already struggle to pay school fees, buy textbooks, and provide basic needs for their children. Adding the cost of new outfits, stage costumes, souvenirs, photography, and entertainment during graduation events places an unnecessary strain on parents.
Exploitation by School Proprietors
Some school owners use these ceremonies as opportunities to generate extra income rather than focusing on academic development. This practice diverts attention away from learning and shifts it to profit-making.
Fostering Unhealthy Rivalry Among Parents
Graduation events often push parents into needless competition — who dresses better, who spends more, who donates the most. This atmosphere of rivalry breeds division and distracts from the real goal of education: building knowledge and character.
Premature Exposure of Children
At early stages of learning, children should be taught humility, discipline, and the value of hard work. Instead, they are being introduced to flamboyance and vanity through celebrations that carry no long-term educational benefit.
Blind Imitation of Foreign Practices
Hosting graduation ceremonies at every level is not part of our cultural or educational heritage. It is a borrowed practice, copied without reflection on its consequences. As a people, we should be careful not to sacrifice substance for style.
A Meaningful Alternative
If ANCOPSS and NAPPS truly wish to celebrate and inspire pupils, they should promote academic and cultural excellence through:
Annual inter-school quiz competitions
Annual football tournaments and other sporting festivals
Cultural displays, literary debates, and creative arts programs
Such initiatives would unite schools, engage parents positively, and give pupils experiences that shape both their intellect and their character.
Preserving Our Cultural Values
Kogi State must not allow imported, showy traditions to overshadow its identity. Our educational system should reflect and uphold our cultural values while preparing young people for service, discipline, and leadership.
We therefore urge school associations and stakeholders to shift their attention from graduation shows to prize-giving days, where children are recognized and rewarded based on merit, performance, and good conduct.
Finally, we call on the Ministry of Education under the leadership of Hon. Wemi Jones, FCIB, to kindly review this article for possible implementation in order to protect parents from unnecessary burdens and return the focus of education to its rightful place — learning, discipline, and excellence.
This is a call for reform, and we make it in the spirit of peace and progress.
By
Education Task Force, Kogi State