Gbolahan Adetayo, a Nigerian journalist, actor, and filmmaker, has called on the Federal Ministry of Education and State Ministries of Education to review the culture of school graduation ceremonies, restricting them to Primary 6, Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3), and university levels.
In a statement he lamented the growing trend of class-to-class graduation events in both private and public schools, describing them as a “commercialized” practice that places unnecessary financial burdens on parents.
He recalled that in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, graduation ceremonies were meaningful occasions reserved for students completing significant stages of education.
“This culture is not just ridiculous, it’s wicked. Parents are forced to pay for graduation parties every year, from crèche to the university,” he said, warning that the practice has pushed some families into debt and extreme hardship.
Adetayo criticized the mounting costs associated with these events, including levies for gowns, decorations, food, entertainment, and photography, often for students moving from one class to another within the same school.
He stressed that such practices diminish the significance of academic milestones and send the wrong message about the value of hard work, especially in a time when many Nigerian families are struggling economically.
“The Ministry of Education must rise to the occasion. Let’s return to when graduation was a big deal, not a financial trap,” he said, urging authorities to make it mandatory that only Primary 6, SS3, and final-year university students hold graduation ceremonies.
Describing the issue as a “national concern,” Adetayo appealed to policymakers, school owners, and education stakeholders to stop the commercialization of education and restore the tradition of celebrating genuine academic progress.
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