Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Ebonyi State Government has intensified the enforcement of its ban on graduation, valedictory, and prize-giving ceremonies across public and private schools, deploying over 106 surveillance and security personnel to monitor compliance across the state’s 13 Local Government Areas. Addressing the monitoring team during a briefing in Abakaliki, the State capital, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, Professor Donatus Ilang, charged the officers to enforce the directive without compromise and issued a stern warning to defaulting schools, emphasising that any institution found violating the policy would face severe sanctions. "A kite flying without pitching will be shot without missing," Ilang warned. "A child that denies the mother sleep will not sleep either."
The commissioner disclosed that investigations are currently underway into more than 158 schools reported for allegedly breaching the directive. He added that principals, headteachers, and proprietors who fail to refund graduation levies illegally collected from parents will soon face severe disciplinary measures. Ilang urged the surveillance personnel to discharge their duties diligently, assuring them that necessary logistical support would be released promptly. He also charged the team to maintain unity and utilise the ministry's dedicated hotlines for real-time reporting. Furthermore, the commissioner emphasised that only ministry-appointed officers and designated security personnel briefed for this operation are authorised to enforce the policy, warning against any unauthorised individuals attempting to interfere with the monitoring exercise.
In a significant warning, Ilang cautioned school administrators against circumventing the ban by hosting graduation events on church premises, stressing that offending institutions will be summoned and penalised. He also warned churches and owners of worship centres against allowing their facilities to be used for school graduation ceremonies that violate the government's policy, stating that anyone who disregards the directive should be prepared to answer the ministry's invitation. The commissioner's warning comes amid concerns that some schools may attempt to bypass the ban by moving their ceremonies to religious venues, a practice the government has now explicitly prohibited.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Chief Mrs Mary Otozi, advised public and private schools to comply fully with the government's policy on graduation, valedictory and prize-giving ceremonies. She appealed to school administrators to stop organising unauthorised events and urged parents to report any principal, head teacher or proprietor who refused to refund graduation levies already collected. Mrs Otozi noted that Enugu State had adopted a similar policy, adding that the measure was aimed at protecting parents from unnecessary financial burdens and ensuring order within the education system.
The ban on graduation ceremonies was first introduced in September 2025, when the Ebonyi State Government prohibited graduation ceremonies for pre-nursery, nursery, and primary school pupils across the state. The directive, also issued by Ilang, similarly prohibited compulsory extra lessons and the practice of writing notes or assignments directly inside textbooks, warning of strict sanctions for non-compliance. The government had also restricted graduation ceremonies to JSS3 and SS3 levels only, as part of efforts to reduce financial pressure on parents and streamline educational activities. Despite the ban, investigations revealed that more than 87 public and private schools had been imposing illegal levies for graduation, valedictory, and award ceremonies, prompting the government to establish a monitoring panel to identify and penalise educational institutions that defy the existing ban.
Responding on behalf of the surveillance team, the team leader assured the commissioner that the team would faithfully carry out the assignment and ensure the effective enforcement of the Ebonyi State Government's graduation ban across all affected schools. The deployment of 106 personnel across the 13 local government areas represents a significant escalation in the government's efforts to enforce compliance, with the state government determined to protect parents from what it describes as unnecessary financial burdens imposed by unauthorised school ceremonies. The Ebonyi State Government has made it clear that the enforcement exercise is aimed at ensuring full compliance with its education policy and that any school found violating the directive will face severe consequences, including withdrawal of operational approval or licensing, imposition of heavy penalties, and legal prosecution where deemed necessary. As the surveillance team begins its monitoring operations across the state, schools and parents alike have been put on notice that the era of unauthorised graduation ceremonies in Ebonyi State is over.
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