The Kogi State Ministry of Education has reaffirmed that its ban on graduation ceremonies for Nursery, Primary and Junior Secondary School pupils remains firmly in place, warning schools against disguising the events under new names to dodge the directive.
The Ministry said it had observed attempts by some schools to rebrand banned graduation ceremonies as “Graduation Thanksgiving Ceremonies” or similar events, describing the move as a deliberate ploy to sidestep government policy and pile unauthorised financial demands on pupils, students, parents and guardians.
It stressed that such thanksgiving ceremonies or any other substitute event carry no legal cover, insisting that changing the name of an event does not change its true nature or exempt it from the existing ban.
The Ministry warned that any school caught organising graduation ceremonies, graduation thanksgiving ceremonies, or similar events would face sanctions under the Kogi State Education Law, 2020, and other relevant regulations.
It clarified that the only ceremony recognised by the state government is the Speech and Prize-Giving Day, held to mark the completion of Senior Secondary Education, and only when conducted modestly, orderly and without placing undue financial burden on parents and guardians.
The Ministry urged parents, guardians and the public to report violations through 08023541327 and 08168085777.
