*Students, pupils pay thousands, go home with plastic items, others
*Be considerate, NAPTAN tells school owners
*States ban events
In the days of yore, the academic session was brought to a close with Prize Giving Day, during which pupils and students would also present drama sketches and playlets, principally to teach morals. Such events were held at no cost to parents and guardians; rather, some pupils and students who excelled would go home with prizes.
Now, the situation has changed, especially with private schools that have grown huge in number across the country. End-of-session or graduation parties now hold, as well as end-of-the-year parties.
The parties are not free, as huge levies are imposed on parents and guardians.
Checks by Vanguard in some schools in Lagos showed that the least levy paid was N20,000 per child, while some paid N60,000 or more, depending on the neighbourhood where the school is located.
New levels of graduation
With private schools, a pupil now graduates from Creche to Nursery class. He will move from Nursery to Primary School level.
After completing Primary School education, there is graduation to move to Junior Secondary School class, and from there to Senior Secondary School. Finally, he moves to seek admission to a tertiary institution.
However, some state governments and even the Federal Ministry of Education have limited graduation ceremonies to terminal classes in primary and secondary schools, that is, Primary Six and SSS 3.
Parents’ experiences
Parents and guardians who shared their experiences with Vanguard mostly slammed school owners for subtly fleecing and extorting them. According to them, levies such as graduation levy, inter-house sports levy and end-of-the-year party levy are subtle ways of putting additional financial pressure on them.
A parent, whose boy attends a private primary school in the Ejigbo area of Lagos, but who craved anonymity, said, “My boy is moving from Nursery to the primary school level, and we paid N35,000 for the graduation party. It was a hell of a time to get a seat at the venue and to be served rice and a bottle of soft drink. They also gave us plastic items as souvenirs, and that was all.
“I know that come December, the end-of-the-year party will also come up. The painful thing is that one has to pay because young ones won’t want to be left behind. They would put pressure on you that their mates have paid and that their teachers are saying they must pay,” she said.
For Mrs Johnson, whose child graduated from a private primary school in the Satellite Area of Lagos, the money she paid looked a bit well utilised.
“We paid N55,000 per child, and they gave us food and drinks. After the event, they gave leather bags to our children. The leather bag, which could be used to carry items if one is travelling, was of good quality. Surely, it would not have sold for less than N35,000 in the market. I know that they would have bought the items in bulk, but it is better than giving plastic buckets and other low-cost items to the pupils.
“That is not to say they did not make some profit; they surely made,” she stated.
For Adeola Babatunde, there is a need for school owners to understand the times.
“Yes, school owners would say it is not compulsory for every student to pay, that it is optional, but we all know the emotional impact such would have on a child if he sees his mates going for the party and he is not joining them. You cannot ask a child you have not paid for to attend. If he attends, he won’t be sent away, but he won’t be given food or any souvenir, no matter how low-rated the souvenir is, and that is inflicting emotional injury on the innocent child,” he opined.
Federal, state governments ban graduation parties
The Federal Government has restricted or prohibited unauthorised and non-terminal school graduation parties — such as those for kindergarten, nursery and primary transitions — to curb the financial exploitation of parents and maintain moral standards.
The action stops schools from forcing parents to pay high fees for graduation gowns, parties and souvenirs. It is also intended to stop inappropriate behaviours, rowdiness and foreign social trends often copied during end-of-session bashes. The intention is also to direct attention back to core learning rather than expensive social events.
Similarly, states like Edo, Benue, Ondo, Osun and Imo have enforced measures to regulate or restrict graduation ceremonies at various school levels.
In Ogun State, the education department instructed all public and private schools to cease holding graduation ceremonies and end-of-session parties, citing financial burdens on families.
This directive was issued in a circular by A.A. Bisiriyu, Director of Education, representing the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary. Likewise, Kogi State reiterated its ban on excessive ceremonies for nursery, primary and junior secondary students, warning of potential school closures for violators.
The state also confirmed its prohibition of undergraduate sign-out ceremonies, with Education Commissioner Wemi Jones indicating that these policies aim to lessen the financial pressure on parents.
In Delta State, authorities reminded private schools of the outright ban on graduation parties and related celebrations, warning of severe penalties, including possible five-year closures, for violations.
Meanwhile, Plateau and Anambra states have joined the league of states banning graduation ceremonies in primary and secondary schools.
The Plateau State Government said any violation of the directive would lead to such schools being closed down and their operating licences withdrawn.
In a statement signed by the Director of Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Education, Mr Sebastian John, on behalf of the Commissioner for Education, he said the policy was in line with resolutions reached during a stakeholders’ engagement on education held recently.
The ministry said the resolutions were subsequently adopted by the Plateau State House of Assembly during plenary and later assented to by Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
It warned that schools that fail to comply with the directive risk immediate closure and withdrawal of their operating licences.
To ensure full compliance, the ministry disclosed that monitoring teams had been deployed across the 17 local government areas of the state to enforce the directives.
Kano Assembly passes bill to regulate private schools
Meanwhile, the Kano State House of Assembly has passed the Kano State Private and Voluntary Institutions Board (Amendment) Bill, 2026. This is aimed at strengthening the regulation of private educational institutions across the state.
The bill was presented during the plenary by the Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Dala, who said the proposed amendment would expand the board’s oversight to include private higher institutions such as universities, colleges and schools of nursing, in addition to primary and secondary schools.
According to him, the amendment is designed to address the rising cost of private education and ensure greater accountability in the sector.
Dala said the amendment would require private schools to obtain approval from the government before implementing any increase in school fees, while also ensuring that the interests of parents were taken into consideration.
Peeping into Lagos and other states
Lagos State is one of the major states that have not regulated the holding of graduation parties in schools. In the Southwest, Oyo and Ondo have not acted on the issue as well.
A source in the Education Quality Assurance Department of the Ministry of Education, Lagos State, said the state government was still studying the development.
The source said the issue of registration of private schools and ensuring standards and quality is in the purview of the department; regulating fees and levies is not something the department can do. He added that since attendance at such events is not compulsory, parents and guardians could use their discretion on which schools their children should attend and which events to pay for.
Every child should be celebrated — NAPPS
Commenting on the development in a chat with Vanguard, the Lagos State Chairman of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, Mr Alaka Yusuf Lukman, noted that every child should be celebrated.
“Every child needs to be celebrated. It is a morale booster for them. In some religions, they do similar things when a child has mastered the Holy Book to a certain level; they celebrate such a child and nobody regulates or cries over that. During our summit a few days ago, we discussed the issue. The question is: what are those things to be brought to the table? What are the schools going to offer?
“We must also take note of the peculiarity of the neighbourhood a school is located in. For instance, in the Lekki area of Lagos, what a school will charge as a levy for graduation will surely be different from what a school will charge in Mile 12. One may charge N20,000, another may charge more. Moreover, the graduation event is not made compulsory by school owners. If you want your child to be part of it, it is okay, and if you don’t want him to take part, nobody will begrudge you.
“Remember also that this is not peculiar to Nigeria. In other climes, they hold graduation parties for pupils and students too. If the government does now want to celebrate its own pupils and students, there is nothing bad in it. It is okay. We are also considerate too. We understand what the economic situation in the country is. Let us celebrate our children; let us encourage them.
“It is not right to say school owners are stylishly extorting parents through such means. Social gatherings and events like graduation and inter-house sports competitions are for socialising, even among parents. We are considerate too, and everybody knows the cost of living has gone high. Yes, you can say the school can make some profit, but that is too marginal. For inter-house sports competitions, most schools rent venues, and you pay for that, among other logistical issues,” he said.
Be considerate, NAPTAN charges school owners
Speaking for parents, the National President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, urged school owners to be considerate.
“We all know what the economic situation in the country is. Many parents are struggling to meet their obligations, and getting quality education is one major priority for parents. These are people whose purchasing power has dwindled. Some have lost their jobs. You know why we are appealing to school owners to be considerate; they are now a vital channel of educating our children. Private schools are coming up in large numbers because the government is no longer setting up public schools as it should.
“If you say graduation parties and others are optional, yes, they may be, but they also look compulsory in the real sense. Parents want to be responsible in the eyes of their children and would not want them to be the odd ones out in some areas. Mr A will pay for his child, so do you think Mr B will be happy if his child misses out? He won’t, and his child won’t be happy as well,” he submitted.
