Ondo State has banned nursery and JSS 3 graduation parties, enforced textbook reuse, and ordered stricter regulation of private schools to ease parental burdens and improve education standards.
The Ondo State Government has banned graduation parties for nursery and Junior Secondary School (JSS 3) students, citing the financial strain such events impose on parents. It also directed that textbooks in secondary schools be reused to reduce exploitation of guardians through annual purchases.
The directive was announced on Wednesday by Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, during a stakeholders’ meeting with proprietors across the state’s 18 local government areas.
Ajibefun stressed that the new measures aim to restore “the lost glory” of the education sector by focusing on academics rather than ceremonies.
The commissioner also disclosed that the state would re-accredit all private schools, ban unapproved curricula, and prohibit unauthorized excursions, underage admissions, and compulsory extra lessons.
Schools operating illegally were given a six-month grace period to obtain approval.
Ajibefun added that efforts to digitize schools are underway, assuring that students in state-owned schools would soon be integrated into a new digital learning platform.