FROM the days of yore, organizing parties to mark the attainment of some landmark achievement forms part of human social behavior, particularly when such height is gained through hard work, perseverance, dedication, and sincerity of purpose.
It is not meant for frivolities, self- adulation, aggrandizement or needless immersion on bloated sense of false achievements. Neither is it an avenue for extortion of persons or group of persons directly or indirectly connected with the event for celebration.
One area that the concept of celebration of achievements has not only been bastardized, but has more often than not, been converted to an avenue for milking dry innocent students and parents is through graduation parties, especially from Nursery to secondary schools levels by avaricious and unscrupulous private school proprietors and others.
Parents and students in most cases have to pay through the nose following the imposition of levies by rapacious private school operators for academic gowns, souvenirs, entertainment, graduation and sundry fees and these payments remain compulsory even if the students or parents fail to participate in the ceremonies.
Not even the non-graduating students are spared this horrific and deliberate extortionist dispositions of the private school shylocks as the non-graduating classes also have levies imposed on them for the purpose of celebrating the graduating class(es).
This is most unfair, ludicrous, totally wicked, and unacceptable as it constitutes a financial drain pipe and indeed a nightmare to most parents, guardians and students themselves.
It is against this background that some state governments recently banned graduation celebrations in nursery and primary schools in their states, warning that the directive must be obeyed by all stakeholders, including school proprietors, Parents Teachers Associations (PTA), parents and guardians, and the general public.
Among the states that have taken the bold step towards rescuing parents, guardians and students from this financial asphyxiation by private school proprietors are, Imo, Edo, Kogi, and Benue.
We commend these states for their foresight, patriotic zeal, dedication to the educational wellbeing of the students and the society at large, hence we urge all other states of the federation to emulate this policy of Imo, Edo, and Benue states placing ban on graduation parties and celebrations at these elementary levels of education.
It is a right step in the right direction as it will go a long way in reducing financial burdens on parents and guardians whose children or wards are hitherto exploited by unscrupulous school proprietors, especially considering the fact that apart from the levies for graduation, many proprietors, more often than not, turn the ceremonies to avenues for raising funds for class room buildings, libraries and other facilities despite the fact that payments for all these were captured in the school fees.
Besides, such celebrations, and the accompanying flamboyance, end up misleading students with false impressions of achievements when in reality, more herculean tasks are ahead.
While we recognise the Biblical injunction not to neglect a little beginning, we are of the firm view that exploitation of parents and guardians through unconscienable levies and crushing cost in order to organize immodest parties for graduation at elementary education level, do not constitute an adherence to the injunction.
Indeed, we can honour this injunction by inculcating in our students/pupils a culture of modesty, sincerity of purpose, hard work, transparency, honesty, dedication to our goals and patriotic zeal rather than a display of unmitigated culture of impunity, unexplained and reckless grandiosity in the name of graduation ceremonies in any school in our society.
Education as an industry is too decent and noble to be converted to unrestrained platform for extortion or engagement in needless debauchery that is counter-productive and misleading to our future leaders and the society.
It is gratifying that the gale of ban on graduation ceremonies in schools at the levels in focus is spreading like a wild fire across the states and in no distant time more states will bow to superior wisdom and implement it fully.
Truly, the success or failure of the policy depends on enforcement and it is on this basis that we call on the Ministry of Education, particularly the basic education department to take necessary steps to ensure compliance.
