The Ondo State Government has announced a ban on graduation ceremonies for nursery pupils and JSS 3 students in the state.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, made this known at a stakeholders' meeting with proprietors and proprietresses of private schools across the 18 local government areas.
According to Ajibefun, the state government will no longer tolerate practices that undermine standards in education.
Newsline NG learnt that the new reforms in the education sector have sparked heated debate among stakeholders in the state.
The reforms include:
- Re-accreditation of all private schools in the state, which will begin soon
- A six-month grace period for unregistered/illegal schools are to regularize or face closure
- Ban on underage admissions and use of unapproved/foreign curricula
- Prohibition of elaborate graduation parties for nursery and JSS 3 pupils
- Restriction on excursions without clearance due to security concerns
- Reuse of textbooks to curb exploitation of parents by schools
Prof. Ajibefun emphasized that private schools are "critical stakeholders in education" and that the state is determined to restore Ondo's "lost glory" in the sector.
"When you run an unapproved school, you are running an illegal business. This administration will not allow illegalities. Schools that cannot meet the irreducible minimum should find another business," he declared.
The Commissioner also disclosed plans to digitize all schools in the state, stressing that pupils would soon be migrated to a government-controlled digital education platform.
While some proprietors commended the reforms, they pleaded for more time to meet the new accreditation requirements and urged the government to cut down bureaucracy in dealings with private institutions.
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